Distributed Nonlinear Trajectory Optimization for Multi-Robot Motion Planning

This work presents a method for multi-robot coordination based on a novel distributed nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) formulation for trajectory optimization and its modified version to mitigate the effects of packet losses and delays in the communication among the robots. Our algorithms consider that each robot is equipped with an...

Fast Dynamic Programming: A Numerical Method for Solving Dynamic Programming Problems

A well-established method for finding the optimal control policy for a given dynamical system is to solve the problem iteratively going from its terminal state "backwards" in time, known as Dynamic Programming Algorithm. For a generic problem with discrete state/action space, the algorithm has computational complexity of <i>O(NM)</i> for <i>N</i...

A string-based representation and crossover operator for evolutionary design of dynamical mechanisms

Robots would perform better when their mechanical structure is specifically designed for their designated task, for instance by adding spring mechanisms. However, designing such mechanisms, which match the dynamics of the robot with the task, is hard and time consuming. To assist designers, a platform that automatically designs dynamical...