A graph-based search approach for planning and learning: An application to planar pushing and navigation tasks

In the field of robotics, consider the following problem scenario: In a robot environment, a simple robot must push objects to reference places while figuring out which objects can be pushed, what the best manipulation strategy is, or which objects are static and cannot be pushed. The problem scenario can be decomposed into three research topics...

Digging through the dirt: a general method for abstract discrete state estimation with limited prior knowledge

Autonomous robots are often successfully deployed in controlled environments. Operation in uncontrolled situations remains challenging; it is hypothesized that the detection of abstract discrete states (ADS) can improve operation in these circumstances. ADS are high-level system states that are not directly detectable and influence system...

Iris - A knowledge Graph-based chatbot for Explaining Robotic Scenario Information to Human Operators in a Retail Setting

The problem of assisting users in comprehending the robotic scenario information in a retail setting has been studied. To design the system, an integrated ontology composed of several IEEE standard ontologies and a labelled property graph (LPG)-based ontology modified from the Web Ontology Language (OWL)-based ontology was proposed to symbolize...

Incremental Adaptation of Behaviour Trees for Applications in Learning from Demonstration Frameworks

This thesis proposes the novel Behaviour Tree Update Framework (BTUF) for the initial construction and continuous incremental adaptation of Behaviour Trees (BTs) for applications in Learning from Demonstration (LfD) frameworks to create complex robot behaviours associated with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) without requiring the user to have a...

Active Inference for Graph Exploration and Searching in Unknown Environments: An Application to Mobile Robots

The autonomy of mobile robots has been greatly improved in recent decades. For these robots, the field of search and rescue is of particular interest. This thesis introduces a new method to let a mobile robot (Spot by Boston Dynamics) explore and search for victims in unknown environments. Existing methods include coverage, which aims to fully...

Generalised Motions in Active Inference by finite differences: Active Inference in Robotics

This thesis is a contribution to the research on Active Inference for Robotics. Active Inference is an intricate, intriguing theory from neuroscience, a field in which it has already gained a greater following and popularity. This theory, based on the underlying Free Energy Principle, provides a unified account of perception, action and learning...