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# IEEE Transactions on Robotics

### Early Access Articles

Early Access articles are made available in advance of the final electronic or print versions. Early Access articles are peer reviewed but may not be fully edited. They are fully citable from the moment they appear in IEEE Xplore.

## Filter Results

Displaying Results 1 - 24 of 24
• ### Constraint Gaussian Filter With Virtual Measurement for On-Line Camera-Odometry Calibration

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 15
| | PDF (1113 KB)

Extrinsic calibration is one of the most important problems in robotics, whose objective is to estimate the relative poses among the sensors and the robot. Currently, most on-line solutions of extrinsic calibration are based on the Gaussian filters, which estimate all the system states iteratively. However, a large number of the system states are not related to calibration. Estimating all these re... View full abstract»

• ### Aural Servo: Sensor-Based Control From Robot Audition

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 14
| | PDF (1247 KB)

This paper proposes a control framework based on auditory perception. Generally, in robot audition, the motion control of a robot from the sense of hearing relies on sound source localization. We propose in this paper an alternative approach, aural servo, which is derived from the sensor-based control framework. In this approach, robot motions are directly connected to the aural perception: The va... View full abstract»

• ### Geometric Construction-Based Realization of Spatial Elastic Behaviors in Parallel and Serial Manipulators

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 17
| | PDF (762 KB)

This paper addresses the realization of spatial elastic behavior with a parallel or a serial manipulator. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a manipulator (either parallel or serial) to realize a specific elastic behavior are presented and interpreted in terms of the manipulator geometry. These conditions completely decouple the requirements on component elastic properties from the requiremen... View full abstract»

• ### Toward Controllable Hydraulic Coupling of Joints in a Wearable Robot

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 16
| | PDF (1409 KB)

In this paper, we develop theoretical foundations for a new class of rehabilitation robot: body-powered devices that route power between a user's joints. By harvesting power from a healthy joint to assist an impaired joint, novel bimanual and self-assist therapies are enabled. This approach complements existing robotic therapies aimed at promoting recovery of motor function after neurologic... View full abstract»

• ### Elastic Structure Preserving (ESP) Control for Compliantly Actuated Robots

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 19
| | PDF (4623 KB)

Physical compliance can be considered one of the key technical properties a robot should exhibit to increase its mechanical robustness. In addition, the accompanying temporal energy-storing capabilities enable explosive and energy efficient cyclic motions. But these advantages come at a price, as compliance introduces unwanted intrinsic oscillatory dynamics, underactuation, and reduces the natural... View full abstract»

• ### Resolving Occlusion in Active Visual Target Search of High-Dimensional Robotic Systems

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 14
| | PDF (1190 KB)

We propose an algorithm for handling visual occlusions that disrupt visual tracking of high-dimensional eye-in-hand systems. Our algorithm allows a robot to look behind an occluder during active visual target search and reacquire its target in an online manner. A particle filter continuously estimates the target location and an enhanced observation model updates the target belief state. Meanwhile,... View full abstract»

• ### A Novel Robotic Platform for Aerial Manipulation Using Quadrotors as Rotating Thrust Generators

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 17
| | PDF (1409 KB)

We propose a novel robotic platform for aerial operation and manipulation, a spherically connected multiquadrotor (SmQ) platform, which consists of a rigid frame and multiple quadrotors that are connected to the frame via passive spherical joints and act as distributed rotating thrust generators to collectively propel the frame by adjusting their attitude and thrust force. Depending on the number ... View full abstract»

• ### Point-Wise Fusion of Distributed Gaussian Process Experts (FuDGE) Using a Fully Decentralized Robot Team Operating in Communication-Devoid Environment

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 9
| | PDF (530 KB)

In this paper, we focus on large-scale environment monitoring by utilizing a fully decentralized team of mobile robots. The robots utilize the resource constrained-decentralized active sensing scheme to select the most informative (uncertain) locations to observe while conserving allocated resources (battery, travel distance, etc.). We utilize a distributed Gaussian process (GP) framework to split... View full abstract»

• ### Continuous-Phase Control of a Powered Knee–Ankle Prosthesis: Amputee Experiments Across Speeds and Inclines

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 16
| | PDF (4684 KB)

Control systems for powered prosthetic legs typically divide the gait cycle into several periods with distinct controllers, resulting in dozens of control parameters that must be tuned across users and activities. To address this challenge, this paper presents a control approach that unifies the gait cycle of a powered knee–ankle prosthesis using a continuous, user-synchronized sense of pha... View full abstract»

• ### Dynamic Point-to-Point Trajectory Planning Beyond the Static Workspace for Six-DOF Cable-Suspended Parallel Robots

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 13
| | PDF (1688 KB)

This paper proposes a point-to-point dynamic trajectory planning technique for reaching a series of poses with a six-degree-of-freedom (six-DOF) cable-suspended parallel robot. Each trajectory segment is designed to have zero translational and rotational velocity at its endpoints; transitions between segments have translational and rotational acceleration continuity. This formulation facilitates t... View full abstract»

• ### Comparative Peg-in-Hole Testing of a Force-Based Manipulation Controlled Robotic Hand

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (694 KB)

Force-based manipulation control strategies are evolving as a primary mechanism in robotics for performing the fine manipulation tasks typical within manufacturing assembly. The ability to systematically compare robotic system performance and quantify true advancement in fine manipulation is of utmost importance. Accordingly, the objectives of this paper are threefold: 1) creation of a peg-in-hole... View full abstract»

• ### Cable-Based Robotic Crane (CBRC): Design and Implementation of Overhead Traveling Cranes Based on Variable Radius Drums

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (1122 KB)

In this paper, we present a new family of overhead traveling cranes based on variable radius drums (VRDs), called cable-based robotic cranes (CBRCs). A VRD is characterized by the variation of the spool radius along its profile. This kind of device is used, in this context, for the development of a cable-robot, which can support and move a load through a planar working area with just two degrees o... View full abstract»

• ### Full-Pose Tracking Control for Aerial Robotic Systems With Laterally Bounded Input Force

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (2259 KB) |  Media

A class of abstract aerial robotic systems is introduced, the laterally bounded force vehicles, in which most of the control authority is expressed along a principal thrust direction, while along the lateral directions a (smaller and possibly null) force may be exploited to achieve full-pose tracking. This class approximates platforms endowed with noncollinear rotors that can modify the orientatio... View full abstract»

• ### 3-D Robust Stability Polyhedron in Multicontact

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 16
| | PDF (1329 KB)

We propose algorithms to compute the three-dimensional (3-D) robust stability region in multicontact. It is well known that the stability region is a product of convex cones and, hence, is a convex polyhedron. Our stability region extends existing recursive two-dimensional (2-D) static stability approaches to 3-D by accounting for possible center-of-mass accelerations. We provide algorithms that c... View full abstract»

• ### The Boundaries of Walking Stability: Viability and Controllability of Simple Models

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 17
| | PDF (2946 KB)

From which states and with what controls can a biped avoid falling or reach a given target state? What is the most robust way to do these? So as to help with the design of walking robot controllers, and perhaps give insights into human walking, we address these questions using two simple 2-D models: the inverted pendulum (IP) and linear inverted pendulum (LIP). Each has one state variable at mid-s... View full abstract»

• ### ϵ⋆: An Online Coverage Path Planning Algorithm

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 8
| | PDF (2751 KB) |  Media

This paper presents an algorithm called $varepsilon ^{star }$, for online coverage path planning of unknown environment. The algorithm is built upon the concept of an Exploratory Turing Machine (ETM), which acts as a supervisor to the autonomous vehicle to guide it with adaptive navigation commands. The ETM generates a coverage path online using Multiscale Adaptive Po... View full abstract»

• ### Robust Visual Localization Across Seasons

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 14
| | PDF (2530 KB)

Localization is an integral part of reliable robot navigation, and long-term autonomy requires robustness against perceptional changes in the environment during localization. In the context of vision-based localization, such changes can be caused by illumination variations, occlusion, structural development, different weather conditions, and seasons. In this paper, we present a novel approach for ... View full abstract»

• ### Dynamic Humanoid Locomotion: A Scalable Formulation for HZD Gait Optimization

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 18
| | PDF (1265 KB) |  Media

Hybrid zero dynamics (HZD) has emerged as a popular framework for dynamic walking but has significant implementation difficulties when applied to the high degrees of freedom humanoids. The primary impediment is the process of gait design—it is difficult for optimizers to converge on a viable set of virtual constraints defining a gait. This paper presents a methodology that allows for fast a... View full abstract»

• ### Ultrahigh-Precision Rotational Positioning Under a Microscope: Nanorobotic System, Modeling, Control, and Applications

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 11
| | PDF (4888 KB)

High-precision positioning is an essential requirement for sample operation at a small scale. At the current stage, although nanometer-scale accuracy has been achieved for the linear positioning, the rotational positioning (attitude control) is still very challenging and rarely addressed. This paper presents a rotatable nanorobotic system with rotational degrees of freedom first. Then, the system ... View full abstract»

• ### A Physics-Based Power Model for Skid-Steered Wheeled Mobile Robots

Publication Year: 2018, Page(s):1 - 13
| | PDF (1315 KB)

The power consumed by skid-steered mobile robots varies enormously depending on their operating regimes and environments. Therefore, energy optimal planning of field missions can be accomplished only if the operating environment and an accurate model of the robot’s power consumption are known in advance. This paper studies influences of location of the center of mass, surface type, terrain ... View full abstract»

• ### Coordinated Search With Multiple Robots Arranged in Line Formations

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 15
| | PDF (807 KB)

In this paper, we address the problem of detecting intruders in complex bidimensional environments with a team of robots arranged in line formations called sweep lines. Sweep lines are used to coordinate the motion of multiple robots and guarantee the detection of any number of arbitrarily fast intruders, even when each robot has a limited sensor footprint. We present a formalization of the proble... View full abstract»

• ### Grasping Without Squeezing: Design and Modeling of Shear-Activated Grippers

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 14
| | PDF (2395 KB) |  Media

Grasping objects that are too large to envelop is traditionally achieved using friction that is activated by squeezing. We present a family of shear-activated grippers that can grasp such objects without the need to squeeze. When a shear force is applied to the gecko-inspired material in our grippers, adhesion is turned on; this adhesion in turn results in adhesion-controlled friction, a friction ... View full abstract»

• ### Controlling Noncooperative Herds with Robotic Herders

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 9
| | PDF (1757 KB) |  Media

We present control strategies for robotic herders to drive noncooperative herds. Our key insight enforces geometrical relationships that map the combined dynamics to simple two-dimensional or three-dimensional nonholonomic vehicle models. We prove convergence of single-agent herds to a goal and propose strategies for multi-agent herds, verified in simulations and experiments. View full abstract»

• ### Formation Control of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots Without Position and Velocity Measurements

Publication Year: 2017, Page(s):1 - 13
| | PDF (1584 KB) |  Media

Most existing formation control approaches are based on the assumption that the global/relative position and/or velocity measurements of mobile robots are directly available. To extend the application domain and to improve the formation control performance, it is extremely necessary to avoid the use of position and velocity measurements in the design of formation controllers. In this paper, we pro... View full abstract»

## Aims & Scope

IEEE Transactions on Robotics covers both theory and applications on topics including: kinematics, dynamics, control, and simulation of robots and intelligent machines and systems.

Full Aims & Scope

## Meet Our Editors

Editor-in-Chief
Frank Park
Seoul National University