Motion planning trajectories for a multilimbed robot to climb up walls requires a unique combination of constraints on torque, contact force, and posture. This paper focuses on motion planning for one particular setup wherein a six-legged robot braces itself between two vertical walls and climbs vertically with end effectors that only use friction. Instead of motion planning with a single nonlinear programming (NLP) solver, we decoupled the problem into two parts with distinct physical meaning: torso postures and contact forces. The first part can be formulated as either a mixed-integer convex programming (MICP) or NLP problem, while the second part is formulated as a series of standard convex optimization problems. Variants of the two wall climbing problem e.g. , obstacle avoidance, uneven surfaces, and angled walls, help verify the proposed method in simulation and experimentation.
Mixed integer convex and nonlinear programs, MICP and MINLP, are expressive but require long solving times. Recent work that combines learning methods on solver heuristics has shown potential to overcome this issue allowing for applications on larger scale practical problems. Gathering sufficient training data to employ these methods still present a challenge since getting data from traditional solvers are slow and newer learning approaches still require large amounts of data. In order to scale up and make these hybrid learning approaches more manageable we propose ReDUCE, a method that exploits structure within small to medium size datasets. We also introduce the bookshelf organization problem as an MINLP as a way to measure performance of solvers with ReDUCE. Results show that existing algorithms with ReDUCE can solve this problem within a few seconds, a significant improvement over the original formulation. ReDUCE is demonstrated as a high level planner for a robotic arm for the bookshelf problem.
Mixed integer bilinear programs (MIBLPs) offer tools to resolve robotics motion planning problems with orthogonal rotation matrices or static moment balance, but require long solving times. Recent work utilizing data-driven methods has shown potential to overcome this issue allowing for applications on larger scale problems. To solve mixed-integer bilinear programs online with data-driven methods, several reformulations exist including mathematical programming with complementary constraints (MPCC), and mixed-integer programming (MIP). In this work, we compare the data-driven performances of various MIBLP reformulations using a book placement problem that has discrete configuration switches and bilinear constraints. The success rate, cost, and solving time are compared along with non-data-driven methods. Our results demonstrate the advantage of using data-driven methods to accelerate the solving speed of MIBLPs, and provide references for users to choose the suitable re-formulation.
Flying typically involves thrust or buoyancy in order to climb in altitude while trying to minimize drag. These setups can result in large, energy-exhaustive mechanisms. This paper presents a novel alternative to the traditional approaches of flying by utilizing aerodynamic drag. Drag can be used as an opposing force needed to lift a load off of the ground. The concept is verified through a series of experiments in which a balloon is used to lift a parachute to a desired height, and then an actuator with a load on the ground retracts a rope connected to the parachute. Aerodynamic drag is translated into a lifting force. This cost-effective, energy efficient, and modular method can increase the mobility of robots, delivery systems etc.
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