A5007280581- Robotic Locomotion and Control
- Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
- Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
- Reinforcement Learning in Robotics
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Robot Manipulation and Learning
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics
- Marine animal studies overview
- Soft Robotics and Applications
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Soil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics
- Advanced Materials and Mechanics
- Marine and fisheries research
- Slime Mold and Myxomycetes Research
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Machine Learning and Algorithms
- Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
- Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting
- Supply Chain and Inventory Management
- Gaussian Processes and Bayesian Inference
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Robotic Mechanisms and Dynamics
- Advanced Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithms
Harvard University
2019-2022
University of Cambridge
2016-2019
ETH Zurich
2014
Inspire
2014
The University of Tokyo
2013
Locomotion of soft-bodied organisms, such as amoeba, worms, and octopuses, is safe, robust, adaptable has great promise for applications in complex environments. While organisms fully exploit the potential provided by their soft structures, engineering solutions commonly constrain deformation favor controllability. In this study, we study how deformations can enhance climbing capabilities a robot. We introduce robot called Longitudinally Extensible Continuum-robot inspired Hirudinea (LEeCH),...
The common bottlenose dolphin is a cosmopolitan species that can be found worldwide in all oceans except polar and sub-polar waters. This wide distribution associated with certain level of morphological variation, which seems consistent the presence globally distributed pelagic/offshore ecotype several coastal/inshore ecotypes along continental shelf. In Mediterranean Sea, regularly occurring second most sighted cetacean after striped dolphin. According to some studies, more closely related...
When developing a robot, design iterations in the physical world are necessary, even though they often costly and not systematic. Here, we present an automated iterative process without using modeling or simulation, which refer to as “model-free optimization” based on Bayesian optimization. This letter particularly focuses cooptimization of morphology controller, by mechanism balance parameter specific costs (i.e., samplings more expensive than control ones) for effective efficient...
We present a seabed map around Lampedusa, the largest island of Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area (Italy, western Mediterranean). The seafloor was mapped using bathymetry and backscatter multibeam systems along with an underwater camera for direct observations ground truthing, from coastal area to about 50 m depth. produced monitor present-day distribution Posidonia oceanica meadows Island. P. is most important endemic seagrass species Mediterranean Sea it can form or beds extending...
Reduction of the system complexity is currently one main challenges for efficient and versatile legged robot locomotion. In this paper, we present a new hopping called CHIARO, which equipped with curved foot. Even though has no sensory feedback consists only two rigid bodies spring loaded joint parallel actuation, it able to achieve stable forward-hopping over wide range parameters forward-speeds. Operating at natural frequency, actuation shows good efficiency. This paper presents an...
Embodiment is a crucial concept for the autonomy and adaptivity of systems working in physical world with high degrees uncertainty complexity. The bodies autonomous adaptive heavily influence information flow from environment to central processing (and vice versa), requiring us consider full triad brain, body, investigate intelligent behavior. This article provides structured review embodied intelligence special emphasis on timescales their role self-organization emergence complex We...
Open-loop control strategies for legged robot locomotion have been investigated by many researchers because of the advantages in terms simplicity and robustness, although influence inputs to performance is not fully clarified. This paper investigates two most basic forms input, sinusoidal pulsed signals, be used a class hopping based on parallel elastic actuation. Our results show that torque outperforms its counterpart with lower energy expenditure. Moreover, driving capable keeping same...
Many complex physical systems exhibit a rich variety of discrete behavioural modes. Often, the system complexity limits applicability standard modelling tools. Hence, understanding underlying physics different behaviours and distinguishing between them is challenging. Although traditional machine learning techniques could predict classify behaviour well, typically they do not provide any meaningful insight into system. In this paper we present novel method for extracting physically clusters...
The solution of complex problems by the collective action simple agents in both biologically evolved and synthetically engineered systems involves cooperative action. Understanding resulting emergent solutions requires integrating across organismal behavior many individuals. Here, we investigate an ecologically relevant task black carpenter ants Camponotus pennsylvanicus : excavation a soft, erodible confining corral. These show transition from individual exploratory at random locations to...
Impulsive actuation enables robots to perform agile maneuvers and surpass difficult terrain, yet its capacity induce continuous stable locomotion have not been explored. We claim that strictly convex foot shapes can improve the impulse effectiveness (impulse used per travelled distance) speed by facilitating periodicity stability. To test this premise, we introduce a theoretical 2-D model based on rigid-body mechanics prove then implement more elaborate in simulation study transient behavior...
Mechanical self-stability is often useful for controlling systems in uncertain and unstructured environments because it can regulate processes without explicit state observation or feedback computation. However, the performance of such not optimised, which begs question how their dynamics be naturally augmented by a control law to improve metrics. We propose minimalistic approach mechanically self-stabilising utilising model-based, feedforward bang-bang at global level self-stabilizing local...
Templates for hopping locomotion provide insights into stability and efficiency of biological systems which in turn can facilitate design principles robots to increase their robustness, agility energy consumption. A novel template (mathematical model) is presented detail the resulting motion compared real world data robot Cargo. The model requires no numerical integration state prediction next hop iteration, as an analytical description maps one touchdown next. results show that capable...
Risso’s dolphin distribution, habitat preferences, and site fidelity in the Strait of Sicily are very little known. During three summer seasons sea surveys, we sighted this species offshore Linosa island groups variable numbers individuals (2-20 with an average 9.7 ± 7.0 SD). Sightings were located a small area showing medium depth (average 591 m) bathymetric features that usually correspond known preferences species. A total 32 belonging to 4 age classes photo-identified 8 them re-sighted...
Geometric graph models of systems as diverse proteins, robots, and mechanical structures from DNA assemblies to architected materials point towards a unified way represent control them in space time. While much work has been done the context characterizing behavior these networks close critical points associated with bond rigidity percolation, isostaticity, etc., less is known about floppy, under-constrained that are far more common nature technology. Here we combine geometric algebraic...
Walking is a common bipedal and quadrupedal gait often associated with terrestrial aquatic organisms. Inspired by recent evidence of the neural underpinnings primitive walking in little skate Leucoraja erinacea , we introduce theoretical model that reveals robust efficient gaits modest requirements for body morphology control. The predicts undulatory behaviour system regular foot placement pattern, which also observed animal, additionally existence bistability between two states, one large...
The solution of complex problems by the collective action simple agents in both biologically evolved and synthetically engineered systems involves cooperative action. Understanding resulting emergent solutions requires integrating across organismal behaviors many individuals. Here we investigate an ecologically relevant task black carpenter ants Camponotus pennsylvanicus : escape from a soft, erodible confining corral. Individual show transition individual exploratory excavation at random...
In nature, very few animals locomote on two legs. Static bipedalism can be found in four limbed and five like dogs, cats, birds, monkeys kangaroos, but it cannot seen hexapods or other multi-limbed animals. this paper, we present a simulation with novel perspective the evolution of static bipedalism, virtual creature evolving its body controllers, apply an evolutionary algorithm to explore locomotion transition from octapods bipods. We find that presence limbs trajectory scaffolds parametric...