Publications | Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

48 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2013

A Practical System For Recording Instrument Interactions During Live Robotic Surgery

McMahan, W., Gomez, E. D., Chen, L., Bark, K., Nappo, J. C., Koch, E. I., Lee, D. I., Dumon, K., Williams, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Journal of Robotic Surgery, 7(4):351-358, 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

2013

hi McMahan, W., Gomez, E. D., Chen, L., Bark, K., Nappo, J. C., Koch, E. I., Lee, D. I., Dumon, K., Williams, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J. A Practical System For Recording Instrument Interactions During Live Robotic Surgery Journal of Robotic Surgery, 7(4):351-358, 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

Probabilistic Object Tracking Using a Range Camera

Wüthrich, M., Pastor, P., Kalakrishnan, M., Bohg, J., Schaal, S.

In IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pages: 3195-3202, IEEE, November 2013 (inproceedings)

Abstract

We address the problem of tracking the 6-DoF pose of an object while it is being manipulated by a human or a robot. We use a dynamic Bayesian network to perform inference and compute a posterior distribution over the current object pose. Depending on whether a robot or a human manipulates the object, we employ a process model with or without knowledge of control inputs. Observations are obtained from a range camera. As opposed to previous object tracking methods, we explicitly model self-occlusions and occlusions from the environment, e.g, the human or robotic hand. This leads to a strongly non-linear observation model and additional dependencies in the Bayesian network. We employ a Rao-Blackwellised particle filter to compute an estimate of the object pose at every time step. In a set of experiments, we demonstrate the ability of our method to accurately and robustly track the object pose in real-time while it is being manipulated by a human or a robot.

arXiv Video Code Video DOI Project Page [BibTex]

am Wüthrich, M., Pastor, P., Kalakrishnan, M., Bohg, J., Schaal, S. Probabilistic Object Tracking Using a Range Camera In IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pages: 3195-3202, IEEE, November 2013 (inproceedings)

arXiv Video Code Video DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Virtual Robotization of the Human Body via Data-Driven Vibrotactile Feedback

Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H.

In Proc. International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE), 8253, pages: 109-122, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Enschede, Netherlands, 2013, Oral presentation given by Kurihara. Best Paper Silver Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H. Virtual Robotization of the Human Body via Data-Driven Vibrotactile Feedback In Proc. International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE), 8253, pages: 109-122, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Enschede, Netherlands, 2013, Oral presentation given by Kurihara. Best Paper Silver Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Jointonation: Robotization of the Human Body by Vibrotactile Feedback

Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H.

Emerging Technologies Demonstration with Talk at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia, Hong Kong, November 2013, Hands-on demonstration given by Kurihara, Takei, and Nakai. Best Demonstration Award as voted by the Program Committee (misc)

[BibTex]

hi Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H. Jointonation: Robotization of the Human Body by Vibrotactile Feedback Emerging Technologies Demonstration with Talk at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia, Hong Kong, November 2013, Hands-on demonstration given by Kurihara, Takei, and Nakai. Best Demonstration Award as voted by the Program Committee (misc)

[BibTex]

3-D Object Reconstruction of Symmetric Objects by Fusing Visual and Tactile Sensing

Illonen, J., Bohg, J., Kyrki, V.

The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(2):321-341, Sage, October 2013 (article)

Abstract

In this work, we propose to reconstruct a complete 3-D model of an unknown object by fusion of visual and tactile information while the object is grasped. Assuming the object is symmetric, a first hypothesis of its complete 3-D shape is generated. A grasp is executed on the object with a robotic manipulator equipped with tactile sensors. Given the detected contacts between the fingers and the object, the initial full object model including the symmetry parameters can be refined. This refined model will then allow the planning of more complex manipulation tasks. The main contribution of this work is an optimal estimation approach for the fusion of visual and tactile data applying the constraint of object symmetry. The fusion is formulated as a state estimation problem and solved with an iterative extended Kalman filter. The approach is validated experimentally using both artificial and real data from two different robotic platforms.

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

am Illonen, J., Bohg, J., Kyrki, V. 3-D Object Reconstruction of Symmetric Objects by Fusing Visual and Tactile Sensing The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(2):321-341, Sage, October 2013 (article)

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Vibrotactile Display: Perception, Technology, and Applications

Choi, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Proceedings of the IEEE, 101(9):2093-2104, sep 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

hi Choi, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Vibrotactile Display: Perception, Technology, and Applications Proceedings of the IEEE, 101(9):2093-2104, sep 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

Virtual Robotization of the Human Body Using Vibration Recording, Modeling and Rendering

Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H.

In Proc. Virtual Reality Society of Japan Annual Conference, Osaka, Japan, sep 2013, Paper written in Japanese. Presentation given by Kurihara (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H. Virtual Robotization of the Human Body Using Vibration Recording, Modeling and Rendering In Proc. Virtual Reality Society of Japan Annual Conference, Osaka, Japan, sep 2013, Paper written in Japanese. Presentation given by Kurihara (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Learning and Optimization with Submodular Functions

Sankaran, B., Ghazvininejad, M., He, X., Kale, D., Cohen, L.

ArXiv, May 2013 (techreport)

Abstract

In many naturally occurring optimization problems one needs to ensure that the definition of the optimization problem lends itself to solutions that are tractable to compute. In cases where exact solutions cannot be computed tractably, it is beneficial to have strong guarantees on the tractable approximate solutions. In order operate under these criterion most optimization problems are cast under the umbrella of convexity or submodularity. In this report we will study design and optimization over a common class of functions called submodular functions. Set functions, and specifically submodular set functions, characterize a wide variety of naturally occurring optimization problems, and the property of submodularity of set functions has deep theoretical consequences with wide ranging applications. Informally, the property of submodularity of set functions concerns the intuitive principle of diminishing returns. This property states that adding an element to a smaller set has more value than adding it to a larger set. Common examples of submodular monotone functions are entropies, concave functions of cardinality, and matroid rank functions; non-monotone examples include graph cuts, network flows, and mutual information. In this paper we will review the formal definition of submodularity; the optimization of submodular functions, both maximization and minimization; and finally discuss some applications in relation to learning and reasoning using submodular functions.

arxiv link (url) [BibTex]

am Sankaran, B., Ghazvininejad, M., He, X., Kale, D., Cohen, L. Learning and Optimization with Submodular Functions ArXiv, May 2013 (techreport)

arxiv link (url) [BibTex]

Hypothesis Testing Framework for Active Object Detection

Sankaran, B., Atanasov, N., Le Ny, J., Koletschka, T., Pappas, G., Daniilidis, K.

In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), May 2013, clmc (inproceedings)

Abstract

One of the central problems in computer vision is the detection of semantically important objects and the estimation of their pose. Most of the work in object detection has been based on single image processing and its performance is limited by occlusions and ambiguity in appearance and geometry. This paper proposes an active approach to object detection by controlling the point of view of a mobile depth camera. When an initial static detection phase identifies an object of interest, several hypotheses are made about its class and orientation. The sensor then plans a sequence of view-points, which balances the amount of energy used to move with the chance of identifying the correct hypothesis. We formulate an active M-ary hypothesis testing problem, which includes sensor mobility, and solve it using a point-based approximate POMDP algorithm. The validity of our approach is verified through simulation and experiments with real scenes captured by a kinect sensor. The results suggest a significant improvement over static object detection.

pdf [BibTex]

am Sankaran, B., Atanasov, N., Le Ny, J., Koletschka, T., Pappas, G., Daniilidis, K. Hypothesis Testing Framework for Active Object Detection In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), May 2013, clmc (inproceedings)

pdf [BibTex]

Virtual Alteration of Body Material by Reality-Based Periodic Vibrotactile Feedback

Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Sato, M., Fukushima, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H.

In Proc. JSME Robotics and Mechatronics Conference (ROBOMEC), Tsukuba, Japan, May 2013, Paper written in Japanese. Poster presentation given by {Kurihara} (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Kurihara, Y., Hachisu, T., Sato, M., Fukushima, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Kajimoto, H. Virtual Alteration of Body Material by Reality-Based Periodic Vibrotactile Feedback In Proc. JSME Robotics and Mechatronics Conference (ROBOMEC), Tsukuba, Japan, May 2013, Paper written in Japanese. Poster presentation given by {Kurihara} (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

The Design and Field Observation of a Haptic Notification System for Oral Presentations

Tam, D., MacLean, K. E., McGrenere, J., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pages: 1689-1698, Paris, France, May 2013, Oral presentation given by Tam (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Tam, D., MacLean, K. E., McGrenere, J., Kuchenbecker, K. J. The Design and Field Observation of a Haptic Notification System for Oral Presentations In Proc. SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pages: 1689-1698, Paris, France, May 2013, Oral presentation given by Tam (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Using Robotic Exploratory Procedures to Learn the Meaning of Haptic Adjectives

Chu, V., McMahon, I., Riano, L., McDonald, C. G., He, Q., Perez-Tejada, J. M., Arrigo, M., Fitter, N., Nappo, J., Darrell, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pages: 3048-3055, Karlsruhe, Germany, May 2013, Oral presentation given by Chu. Best Cognitive Robotics Paper Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Chu, V., McMahon, I., Riano, L., McDonald, C. G., He, Q., Perez-Tejada, J. M., Arrigo, M., Fitter, N., Nappo, J., Darrell, T., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Using Robotic Exploratory Procedures to Learn the Meaning of Haptic Adjectives In Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pages: 3048-3055, Karlsruhe, Germany, May 2013, Oral presentation given by Chu. Best Cognitive Robotics Paper Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Instrument contact vibrations are a construct-valid measure of technical skill in Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery Training Tasks

Gomez, E. D., Aggarwal, R., McMahan, W., Koch, E., Hashimoto, D. A., Darzi, A., Murayama, K. M., Dumon, K. R., Williams, N. N., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. Annual Meeting of the Association for Surgical Education, Orlando, Florida, USA, 2013, Oral presentation given by Gomez (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Gomez, E. D., Aggarwal, R., McMahan, W., Koch, E., Hashimoto, D. A., Darzi, A., Murayama, K. M., Dumon, K. R., Williams, N. N., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Instrument contact vibrations are a construct-valid measure of technical skill in Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery Training Tasks In Proc. Annual Meeting of the Association for Surgical Education, Orlando, Florida, USA, 2013, Oral presentation given by Gomez (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Dynamic Simulation of Tool-Mediated Texture Interaction

McDonald, C. G., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. IEEE World Haptics Conference, pages: 307-312, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Oral presentation given by McDonald (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi McDonald, C. G., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Dynamic Simulation of Tool-Mediated Texture Interaction In Proc. IEEE World Haptics Conference, pages: 307-312, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Oral presentation given by McDonald (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

ROS Open-source Audio Recognizer: ROAR Environmental Sound Detection Tools for Robot Programming

Romano, J. M., Brindza, J. P., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Autonomous Robots, 34(3):207-215, April 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

hi Romano, J. M., Brindza, J. P., Kuchenbecker, K. J. ROS Open-source Audio Recognizer: ROAR Environmental Sound Detection Tools for Robot Programming Autonomous Robots, 34(3):207-215, April 2013 (article)

[BibTex]

Generating Haptic Texture Models From Unconstrained Tool-Surface Interactions

Culbertson, H., Unwin, J., Goodman, B. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. IEEE World Haptics Conference, pages: 295-300, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Oral presentation given by Culbertson. Finalist for Best Paper Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Culbertson, H., Unwin, J., Goodman, B. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Generating Haptic Texture Models From Unconstrained Tool-Surface Interactions In Proc. IEEE World Haptics Conference, pages: 295-300, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Oral presentation given by Culbertson. Finalist for Best Paper Award (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Data-Driven Modeling and Rendering of Isotropic Textures

Culbertson, H., McDonald, C. G., Goodman, B. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Hands-on demonstration presented at IEEE World Haptics Conference, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Best Demonstration Award (by audience vote) (misc)

[BibTex]

hi Culbertson, H., McDonald, C. G., Goodman, B. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Data-Driven Modeling and Rendering of Isotropic Textures Hands-on demonstration presented at IEEE World Haptics Conference, Daejeon, South Korea, April 2013, Best Demonstration Award (by audience vote) (misc)

[BibTex]

A practical System for Recording Instrument Contacts and Collisions During Transoral Robotic Surgery

Gomez, E. D., Weinstein, G. S., O’Malley, J. B. W., McMahan, W., Chen, L., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. Annual Meeting of the Triological Society, Orlando, Florida, USA, April 2013, Poster presentation given by Gomez (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi Gomez, E. D., Weinstein, G. S., O’Malley, J. B. W., McMahan, W., Chen, L., Kuchenbecker, K. J. A practical System for Recording Instrument Contacts and Collisions During Transoral Robotic Surgery In Proc. Annual Meeting of the Triological Society, Orlando, Florida, USA, April 2013, Poster presentation given by Gomez (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Adding Haptics to Robotic Surgery

J. Kuchenbecker, K., Brzezinski, A., D. Gomez, E., Gosselin, M., Hui, J., Koch, E., Koehn, J., McMahan, W., Mahajan, K., Nappo, J., Shah, N.

Learning Center Station at SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, April 2013 (misc)

[BibTex]

hi J. Kuchenbecker, K., Brzezinski, A., D. Gomez, E., Gosselin, M., Hui, J., Koch, E., Koehn, J., McMahan, W., Mahajan, K., Nappo, J., Shah, N. Adding Haptics to Robotic Surgery Learning Center Station at SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, April 2013 (misc)

[BibTex]

In Vivo Validation of a System for Haptic Feedback of Tool Vibrations in Robotic Surgery

Bark, K., McMahan, W., Remington, A., Gewirtz, J., Wedmid, A., Lee, D. I., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Surgical Endoscopy, 27(2):656-664, February 2013, dynamic article (paper plus video), available at \href{http://www.springerlink.com/content/417j532708417342/}{http://www.springerlink.com/content/417j532708417342/} (article)

[BibTex]

hi Bark, K., McMahan, W., Remington, A., Gewirtz, J., Wedmid, A., Lee, D. I., Kuchenbecker, K. J. In Vivo Validation of a System for Haptic Feedback of Tool Vibrations in Robotic Surgery Surgical Endoscopy, 27(2):656-664, February 2013, dynamic article (paper plus video), available at \href{http://www.springerlink.com/content/417j532708417342/}{http://www.springerlink.com/content/417j532708417342/} (article)

[BibTex]

Action and Goal Related Decision Variables Modulate the Competition Between Multiple Potential Targets

Enachescu, V, Christopoulos, Vassilios N, Schrater, P. R., Schaal, S.

In Abstracts of Neural Control of Movement Conference (NCM 2013), February 2013 (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

am Enachescu, V, Christopoulos, Vassilios N, Schrater, P. R., Schaal, S. Action and Goal Related Decision Variables Modulate the Competition Between Multiple Potential Targets In Abstracts of Neural Control of Movement Conference (NCM 2013), February 2013 (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Perception of Springs with Visual and Proprioceptive Motion Cues: Implications for Prosthetics

Gurari, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Okamura, A. M.

IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 43, pages: 102-114, January 2013, \href{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBRw87Wk29E\&feature=youtu.be}{Video} (article)

[BibTex]

hi Gurari, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J., Okamura, A. M. Perception of Springs with Visual and Proprioceptive Motion Cues: Implications for Prosthetics IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 43, pages: 102-114, January 2013, \href{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBRw87Wk29E\&feature=youtu.be}{Video} (article)

[BibTex]

The functional role of automatic body response in shaping voluntary actions based on muscle synergy theory

Alnajjar, F. S., Berenz, V., Shimoda, S.

In Neural Engineering (NER), 2013 6th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on, pages: 1230-1233, 2013 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

am Alnajjar, F. S., Berenz, V., Shimoda, S. The functional role of automatic body response in shaping voluntary actions based on muscle synergy theory In Neural Engineering (NER), 2013 6th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on, pages: 1230-1233, 2013 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Optimal control of reaching includes kinematic constraints

Mistry, M., Theodorou, E., Schaal, S., Kawato, M.

Journal of Neurophysiology, 2013, clmc (article)

Abstract

We investigate adaptation under a reaching task with an acceleration-based force field perturbation designed to alter the nominal straight hand trajectory in a potentially benign manner:pushing the hand of course in one direction before subsequently restoring towards the target. In this particular task, an explicit strategy to reduce motor effort requires a distinct deviation from the nominal rectilinear hand trajectory. Rather, our results display a clear directional preference during learning, as subjects adapted perturbed curved trajectories towards their initial baselines. We model this behavior using the framework of stochastic optimal control theory and an objective function that trades-of the discordant requirements of 1) target accuracy, 2) motor effort, and 3) desired trajectory. Our work addresses the underlying objective of a reaching movement, and we suggest that robustness, particularly against internal model uncertainly, is as essential to the reaching task as terminal accuracy and energy effciency.

PDF [BibTex]

am Mistry, M., Theodorou, E., Schaal, S., Kawato, M. Optimal control of reaching includes kinematic constraints Journal of Neurophysiology, 2013, clmc (article)

PDF [BibTex]

Coaching robots with biosignals based on human affective social behaviors

Suzuki, K., Gruebler, A., Berenz, V.

In ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2013, Tokyo, Japan, March 3-6, 2013, pages: 419-420, 2013 (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

am Suzuki, K., Gruebler, A., Berenz, V. Coaching robots with biosignals based on human affective social behaviors In ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2013, Tokyo, Japan, March 3-6, 2013, pages: 419-420, 2013 (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

Expectation and Attention in Hierarchical Auditory Prediction

Chennu, S., Noreika, V., Gueorguiev, D., Blenkmann, A., Kochen, S., Ibáñez, A., Owen, A. M., Bekinschtein, T. A.

Journal of Neuroscience, 33(27):11194-11205, Society for Neuroscience, 2013 (article)

Abstract

Hierarchical predictive coding suggests that attention in humans emerges from increased precision in probabilistic inference, whereas expectation biases attention in favor of contextually anticipated stimuli. We test these notions within auditory perception by independently manipulating top-down expectation and attentional precision alongside bottom-up stimulus predictability. Our findings support an integrative interpretation of commonly observed electrophysiological signatures of neurodynamics, namely mismatch negativity (MMN), P300, and contingent negative variation (CNV), as manifestations along successive levels of predictive complexity. Early first-level processing indexed by the MMN was sensitive to stimulus predictability: here, attentional precision enhanced early responses, but explicit top-down expectation diminished it. This pattern was in contrast to later, second-level processing indexed by the P300: although sensitive to the degree of predictability, responses at this level were contingent on attentional engagement and in fact sharpened by top-down expectation. At the highest level, the drift of the CNV was a fine-grained marker of top-down expectation itself. Source reconstruction of high-density EEG, supported by intracranial recordings, implicated temporal and frontal regions differentially active at early and late levels. The cortical generators of the CNV suggested that it might be involved in facilitating the consolidation of context-salient stimuli into conscious perception. These results provide convergent empirical support to promising recent accounts of attention and expectation in predictive coding.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

hi Chennu, S., Noreika, V., Gueorguiev, D., Blenkmann, A., Kochen, S., Ibáñez, A., Owen, A. M., Bekinschtein, T. A. Expectation and Attention in Hierarchical Auditory Prediction Journal of Neuroscience, 33(27):11194-11205, Society for Neuroscience, 2013 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Fusing visual and tactile sensing for 3-D object reconstruction while grasping

Ilonen, J., Bohg, J., Kyrki, V.

In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pages: 3547-3554, 2013 (inproceedings)

Abstract

In this work, we propose to reconstruct a complete 3-D model of an unknown object by fusion of visual and tactile information while the object is grasped. Assuming the object is symmetric, a first hypothesis of its complete 3-D shape is generated from a single view. This initial model is used to plan a grasp on the object which is then executed with a robotic manipulator equipped with tactile sensors. Given the detected contacts between the fingers and the object, the full object model including the symmetry parameters can be refined. This refined model will then allow the planning of more complex manipulation tasks. The main contribution of this work is an optimal estimation approach for the fusion of visual and tactile data applying the constraint of object symmetry. The fusion is formulated as a state estimation problem and solved with an iterative extended Kalman filter. The approach is validated experimentally using both artificial and real data from two different robotic platforms.

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

am Ilonen, J., Bohg, J., Kyrki, V. Fusing visual and tactile sensing for 3-D object reconstruction while grasping In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pages: 3547-3554, 2013 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Distributed and Event-based State Estimation and Control

Trimpe, S.

ETH Zurich, 2013 (phdthesis)

am ics

PDF DOI [BibTex]

am ics Trimpe, S. Distributed and Event-based State Estimation and Control ETH Zurich, 2013 (phdthesis)

PDF DOI [BibTex]

Dynamical Movement Primitives: Learning Attractor Models for Motor Behaviors

Ijspeert, A., Nakanishi, J., Pastor, P., Hoffmann, H., Schaal, S.

Neural Computation, (25):328-373, 2013, clmc (article)

Abstract

Nonlinear dynamical systems have been used in many disciplines to model complex behaviors, including biological motor control, robotics, perception, economics, traffic prediction, and neuroscience. While often the unexpected emergent behavior of nonlinear systems is the focus of investigations, it is of equal importance to create goal-directed behavior (e.g., stable locomotion from a system of coupled oscillators under perceptual guidance). Modeling goal-directed behavior with nonlinear systems is, however, rather difficult due to the parameter sensitivity of these systems, their complex phase transitions in response to subtle parameter changes, and the difficulty of analyzing and predicting their long-term behavior; intuition and time-consuming parameter tuning play a major role. This letter presents and reviews dynamical movement primitives, a line of research for modeling attractor behaviors of autonomous nonlinear dynamical systems with the help of statistical learning techniques. The essence of our approach is to start with a simple dynamical system, such as a set of linear differential equations, and transform those into a weakly nonlinear system with prescribed attractor dynamics by meansof a learnable autonomous forcing term. Both point attractors and limit cycle attractors of almost arbitrary complexity can be generated. We explain the design principle of our approach and evaluate its properties in several example applications in motor control and robotics.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Ijspeert, A., Nakanishi, J., Pastor, P., Hoffmann, H., Schaal, S. Dynamical Movement Primitives: Learning Attractor Models for Motor Behaviors Neural Computation, (25):328-373, 2013, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

Self-tuning in Sliding Mode Control of High-Precision Motion Systems

Heertjes, M. F., Vardar, Y.

In IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 46(5):13 - 19, 2013, 6th IFAC Symposium on Mechatronic Systems (inproceedings)

Abstract

In high-precision motion systems, set-point tracking often comes with the problem of overshoot, hence poor settling behavior. To avoid overshoot, PD control (thus without using an integrator) is preferred over PID control. However, PD control gives rise to steady-state error in view of the constant disturbances acting on the system. To deal with both overshoot and steady-state error, a sliding mode controller with saturated integrator is studied. For large servo signals the controller is switched to PD mode as to constrain the integrator buffer and therefore the overshoot. For small servo signals the controller switches to PID mode as to avoid steady-state error. The tuning of the switching parameters will be done automatically with the aim to optimize the settling behavior. The sliding mode controller will be tested on a high-precision motion system.

heertjes_ifac2013 link (url) DOI [BibTex]

hi Heertjes, M. F., Vardar, Y. Self-tuning in Sliding Mode Control of High-Precision Motion Systems In IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 46(5):13 - 19, 2013, 6th IFAC Symposium on Mechatronic Systems (inproceedings)

heertjes_ifac2013 link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Learning Objective Functions for Manipulation

Kalakrishnan, M., Pastor, P., Righetti, L., Schaal, S.

In 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013 (inproceedings)

Abstract

We present an approach to learning objective functions for robotic manipulation based on inverse reinforcement learning. Our path integral inverse reinforcement learning algorithm can deal with high-dimensional continuous state-action spaces, and only requires local optimality of demonstrated trajectories. We use L 1 regularization in order to achieve feature selection, and propose an efficient algorithm to minimize the resulting convex objective function. We demonstrate our approach by applying it to two core problems in robotic manipulation. First, we learn a cost function for redundancy resolution in inverse kinematics. Second, we use our method to learn a cost function over trajectories, which is then used in optimization-based motion planning for grasping and manipulation tasks. Experimental results show that our method outperforms previous algorithms in high-dimensional settings.

am mg

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

am mg Kalakrishnan, M., Pastor, P., Righetti, L., Schaal, S. Learning Objective Functions for Manipulation In 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013 (inproceedings)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Using Torque Redundancy to Optimize Contact Forces in Legged Robots

Righetti, L., Buchli, J., Mistry, M., Kalakrishnan, M., Schaal, S.

In Redundancy in Robot Manipulators and Multi-Robot Systems, 57, pages: 35-51, Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013 (incollection)

Abstract

The development of legged robots for complex environments requires controllers that guarantee both high tracking performance and compliance with the environment. More specifically the control of contact interaction with the environment is of crucial importance to ensure stable, robust and safe motions. In the following, we present an inverse dynamics controller that exploits torque redundancy to directly and explicitly minimize any combination of linear and quadratic costs in the contact constraints and in the commands. Such a result is particularly relevant for legged robots as it allows to use torque redundancy to directly optimize contact interactions. For example, given a desired locomotion behavior, it can guarantee the minimization of contact forces to reduce slipping on difficult terrains while ensuring high tracking performance of the desired motion. The proposed controller is very simple and computationally efficient, and most importantly it can greatly improve the performance of legged locomotion on difficult terrains as can be seen in the experimental results.

am mg

link (url) [BibTex]

am mg Righetti, L., Buchli, J., Mistry, M., Kalakrishnan, M., Schaal, S. Using Torque Redundancy to Optimize Contact Forces in Legged Robots In Redundancy in Robot Manipulators and Multi-Robot Systems, 57, pages: 35-51, Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013 (incollection)

link (url) [BibTex]

Optimal distribution of contact forces with inverse-dynamics control

Righetti, L., Buchli, J., Mistry, M., Kalakrishnan, M., Schaal, S.

The International Journal of Robotics Research, 32(3):280-298, March 2013 (article)

Abstract

The development of legged robots for complex environments requires controllers that guarantee both high tracking performance and compliance with the environment. More specifically the control of the contact interaction with the environment is of crucial importance to ensure stable, robust and safe motions. In this contribution we develop an inverse-dynamics controller for floating-base robots under contact constraints that can minimize any combination of linear and quadratic costs in the contact constraints and the commands. Our main result is the exact analytical derivation of the controller. Such a result is particularly relevant for legged robots as it allows us to use torque redundancy to directly optimize contact interactions. For example, given a desired locomotion behavior, we can guarantee the minimization of contact forces to reduce slipping on difficult terrains while ensuring high tracking performance of the desired motion. The main advantages of the controller are its simplicity, computational efficiency and robustness to model inaccuracies. We present detailed experimental results on simulated humanoid and quadruped robots as well as a real quadruped robot. The experiments demonstrate that the controller can greatly improve the robustness of locomotion of the robots.1

am mg

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

am mg Righetti, L., Buchli, J., Mistry, M., Kalakrishnan, M., Schaal, S. Optimal distribution of contact forces with inverse-dynamics control The International Journal of Robotics Research, 32(3):280-298, March 2013 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

A Practical System For Recording Instrument Interactions During Live Robotic Surgery

McMahan, W., Gomez, E. D., Chen, L., Bark, K., Nappo, J. C., Koch, E. I., Lee, D. I., Dumon, K., Williams, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proc. Medicine Meets Virtual Reality, 2013, Poster presentation given by McMahan (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

hi McMahan, W., Gomez, E. D., Chen, L., Bark, K., Nappo, J. C., Koch, E. I., Lee, D. I., Dumon, K., Williams, N., Kuchenbecker, K. J. A Practical System For Recording Instrument Interactions During Live Robotic Surgery In Proc. Medicine Meets Virtual Reality, 2013, Poster presentation given by McMahan (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Learning Task Error Models for Manipulation

Pastor, P., Kalakrishnan, M., Binney, J., Kelly, J., Righetti, L., Sukhatme, G. S., Schaal, S.

In 2013 IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Precise kinematic forward models are important for robots to successfully perform dexterous grasping and manipulation tasks, especially when visual servoing is rendered infeasible due to occlusions. A lot of research has been conducted to estimate geometric and non-geometric parameters of kinematic chains to minimize reconstruction errors. However, kinematic chains can include non-linearities, e.g. due to cable stretch and motor-side encoders, that result in significantly different errors for different parts of the state space. Previous work either does not consider such non-linearities or proposes to estimate non-geometric parameters of carefully engineered models that are robot specific. We propose a data-driven approach that learns task error models that account for such unmodeled non-linearities. We argue that in the context of grasping and manipulation, it is sufficient to achieve high accuracy in the task relevant state space. We identify this relevant state space using previously executed joint configurations and learn error corrections for those. Therefore, our system is developed to generate subsequent executions that are similar to previous ones. The experiments show that our method successfully captures the non-linearities in the head kinematic chain (due to a counterbalancing spring) and the arm kinematic chains (due to cable stretch) of the considered experimental platform, see Fig. 1. The feasibility of the presented error learning approach has also been evaluated in independent DARPA ARM-S testing contributing to successfully complete 67 out of 72 grasping and manipulation tasks.

am mg

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

am mg Pastor, P., Kalakrishnan, M., Binney, J., Kelly, J., Righetti, L., Sukhatme, G. S., Schaal, S. Learning Task Error Models for Manipulation In 2013 IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE, Karlsruhe, Germany, 2013 (inproceedings)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

1997

Locally weighted learning

Atkeson, C. G., Moore, A. W., Schaal, S.

Artificial Intelligence Review, 11(1-5):11-73, 1997, clmc (article)

Abstract

This paper surveys locally weighted learning, a form of lazy learning and memory-based learning, and focuses on locally weighted linear regression. The survey discusses distance functions, smoothing parameters, weighting functions, local model structures, regularization of the estimates and bias, assessing predictions, handling noisy data and outliers, improving the quality of predictions by tuning fit parameters, interference between old and new data, implementing locally weighted learning efficiently, and applications of locally weighted learning. A companion paper surveys how locally weighted learning can be used in robot learning and control. Keywords: locally weighted regression, LOESS, LWR, lazy learning, memory-based learning, least commitment learning, distance functions, smoothing parameters, weighting functions, global tuning, local tuning, interference.

link (url) [BibTex]

1997

am Atkeson, C. G., Moore, A. W., Schaal, S. Locally weighted learning Artificial Intelligence Review, 11(1-5):11-73, 1997, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

Locally weighted learning for control

Atkeson, C. G., Moore, A. W., Schaal, S.

Artificial Intelligence Review, 11(1-5):75-113, 1997, clmc (article)

Abstract

Lazy learning methods provide useful representations and training algorithms for learning about complex phenomena during autonomous adaptive control of complex systems. This paper surveys ways in which locally weighted learning, a type of lazy learning, has been applied by us to control tasks. We explain various forms that control tasks can take, and how this affects the choice of learning paradigm. The discussion section explores the interesting impact that explicitly remembering all previous experiences has on the problem of learning to control. Keywords: locally weighted regression, LOESS, LWR, lazy learning, memory-based learning, least commitment learning, forward models, inverse models, linear quadratic regulation (LQR), shifting setpoint algorithm, dynamic programming.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Atkeson, C. G., Moore, A. W., Schaal, S. Locally weighted learning for control Artificial Intelligence Review, 11(1-5):75-113, 1997, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

Learning from demonstration

Schaal, S.

In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 9, pages: 1040-1046, (Editors: Mozer, M. C.;Jordan, M.;Petsche, T.), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

Abstract

By now it is widely accepted that learning a task from scratch, i.e., without any prior knowledge, is a daunting undertaking. Humans, however, rarely attempt to learn from scratch. They extract initial biases as well as strategies how to approach a learning problem from instructions and/or demonstrations of other humans. For learning control, this paper investigates how learning from demonstration can be applied in the context of reinforcement learning. We consider priming the Q-function, the value function, the policy, and the model of the task dynamics as possible areas where demonstrations can speed up learning. In general nonlinear learning problems, only model-based reinforcement learning shows significant speed-up after a demonstration, while in the special case of linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problems, all methods profit from the demonstration. In an implementation of pole balancing on a complex anthropomorphic robot arm, we demonstrate that, when facing the complexities of real signal processing, model-based reinforcement learning offers the most robustness for LQR problems. Using the suggested methods, the robot learns pole balancing in just a single trial after a 30 second long demonstration of the human instructor.Â

link (url) [BibTex]

am Schaal, S. Learning from demonstration In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 9, pages: 1040-1046, (Editors: Mozer, M. C.;Jordan, M.;Petsche, T.), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

Robot learning from demonstration

Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S.

In Machine Learning: Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference (ICML ’97), pages: 12-20, (Editors: Fisher Jr., D. H.), Morgan Kaufmann, Nashville, TN, July 8-12, 1997, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

Abstract

The goal of robot learning from demonstration is to have a robot learn from watching a demonstration of the task to be performed. In our approach to learning from demonstration the robot learns a reward function from the demonstration and a task model from repeated attempts to perform the task. A policy is computed based on the learned reward function and task model. Lessons learned from an implementation on an anthropomorphic robot arm using a pendulum swing up task include 1) simply mimicking demonstrated motions is not adequate to perform this task, 2) a task planner can use a learned model and reward function to compute an appropriate policy, 3) this model-based planning process supports rapid learning, 4) both parametric and nonparametric models can be learned and used, and 5) incorporating a task level direct learning component, which is non-model-based, in addition to the model-based planner, is useful in compensating for structural modeling errors and slow model learning.Â

link (url) [BibTex]

am Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S. Robot learning from demonstration In Machine Learning: Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference (ICML ’97), pages: 12-20, (Editors: Fisher Jr., D. H.), Morgan Kaufmann, Nashville, TN, July 8-12, 1997, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

Local dimensionality reduction for locally weighted learning

Vijayakumar, S., Schaal, S.

In International Conference on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation, pages: 220-225, Monteray, CA, July10-11, 1997, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

Abstract

Incremental learning of sensorimotor transformations in high dimensional spaces is one of the basic prerequisites for the success of autonomous robot devices as well as biological movement systems. So far, due to sparsity of data in high dimensional spaces, learning in such settings requires a significant amount of prior knowledge about the learning task, usually provided by a human expert. In this paper we suggest a partial revision of the view. Based on empirical studies, it can been observed that, despite being globally high dimensional and sparse, data distributions from physical movement systems are locally low dimensional and dense. Under this assumption, we derive a learning algorithm, Locally Adaptive Subspace Regression, that exploits this property by combining a local dimensionality reduction as a preprocessing step with a nonparametric learning technique, locally weighted regression. The usefulness of the algorithm and the validity of its assumptions are illustrated for a synthetic data set and data of the inverse dynamics of an actual 7 degree-of-freedom anthropomorphic robot arm.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Vijayakumar, S., Schaal, S. Local dimensionality reduction for locally weighted learning In International Conference on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation, pages: 220-225, Monteray, CA, July10-11, 1997, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

Learning tasks from a single demonstration

Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S.

In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA97), 2, pages: 1706-1712, Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, Albuquerque, NM, 20-25 April, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

Abstract

Learning a complex dynamic robot manoeuvre from a single human demonstration is difficult. This paper explores an approach to learning from demonstration based on learning an optimization criterion from the demonstration and a task model from repeated attempts to perform the task, and using the learned criterion and model to compute an appropriate robot movement. A preliminary version of the approach has been implemented on an anthropomorphic robot arm using a pendulum swing up task as an example

link (url) [BibTex]

am Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S. Learning tasks from a single demonstration In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA97), 2, pages: 1706-1712, Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, Albuquerque, NM, 20-25 April, 1997, clmc (inproceedings)

link (url) [BibTex]

1996

A kendama learning robot based on a dynamic optimiation principle

Miyamoto, H., Gandolfo, F., Gomi, H., Schaal, S., Koike, Y., Rieka, O., Nakano, E., Wada, Y., Kawato, M.

In Preceedings of the International Conference on Neural Information Processing, pages: 938-942, Hong Kong, September 1996, clmc (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

1996

am Miyamoto, H., Gandolfo, F., Gomi, H., Schaal, S., Koike, Y., Rieka, O., Nakano, E., Wada, Y., Kawato, M. A kendama learning robot based on a dynamic optimiation principle In Preceedings of the International Conference on Neural Information Processing, pages: 938-942, Hong Kong, September 1996, clmc (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

A Kendama learning robot based on bi-directional theory

Miyamoto, H., Schaal, S., Gandolfo, F., Koike, Y., Osu, R., Nakano, E., Wada, Y., Kawato, M.

Neural Networks, 9(8):1281-1302, 1996, clmc (article)

Abstract

A general theory of movement-pattern perception based on bi-directional theory for sensory-motor integration can be used for motion capture and learning by watching in robotics. We demonstrate our methods using the game of Kendama, executed by the SARCOS Dextrous Slave Arm, which has a very similar kinematic structure to the human arm. Three ingredients have to be integrated for the successful execution of this task. The ingredients are (1) to extract via-points from a human movement trajectory using a forward-inverse relaxation model, (2) to treat via-points as a control variable while reconstructing the desired trajectory from all the via-points, and (3) to modify the via-points for successful execution. In order to test the validity of the via-point representation, we utilized a numerical model of the SARCOS arm, and examined the behavior of the system under several conditions.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Miyamoto, H., Schaal, S., Gandolfo, F., Koike, Y., Osu, R., Nakano, E., Wada, Y., Kawato, M. A Kendama learning robot based on bi-directional theory Neural Networks, 9(8):1281-1302, 1996, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

From isolation to cooperation: An alternative of a system of experts

Schaal, S., Atkeson, C. G.

In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 8, pages: 605-611, (Editors: Touretzky, D. S.;Mozer, M. C.;Hasselmo, M. E.), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996, clmc (inbook)

Abstract

We introduce a constructive, incremental learning system for regression problems that models data by means of locally linear experts. In contrast to other approaches, the experts are trained independently and do not compete for data during learning. Only when a prediction for a query is required do the experts cooperate by blending their individual predictions. Each expert is trained by minimizing a penalized local cross validation error using second order methods. In this way, an expert is able to adjust the size and shape of the receptive field in which its predictions are valid, and also to adjust its bias on the importance of individual input dimensions. The size and shape adjustment corresponds to finding a local distance metric, while the bias adjustment accomplishes local dimensionality reduction. We derive asymptotic results for our method. In a variety of simulations we demonstrate the properties of the algorithm with respect to interference, learning speed, prediction accuracy, feature detection, and task oriented incremental learning.Â

link (url) [BibTex]

am Schaal, S., Atkeson, C. G. From isolation to cooperation: An alternative of a system of experts In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 8, pages: 605-611, (Editors: Touretzky, D. S.;Mozer, M. C.;Hasselmo, M. E.), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996, clmc (inbook)

link (url) [BibTex]

One-handed juggling: A dynamical approach to a rhythmic movement task

Schaal, S., Sternad, D., Atkeson, C. G.

Journal of Motor Behavior, 28(2):165-183, 1996, clmc (article)

Abstract

The skill of rhythmic juggling a ball on a racket is investigated from the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamics. The difference equations that model the dynamical system are analyzed by means of local and non-local stability analyses. These analyses yield that the task dynamics offer an economical juggling pattern which is stable even for open-loop actuator motion. For this pattern, two types of pre dictions are extracted: (i) Stable periodic bouncing is sufficiently characterized by a negative acceleration of the racket at the moment of impact with the ball; (ii) A nonlinear scaling relation maps different juggling trajectories onto one topologically equivalent dynamical system. The relevance of these results for the human control of action was evaluated in an experiment where subjects performed a comparable task of juggling a ball on a paddle. Task manipulations involved different juggling heights and gravity conditions of the ball. The predictions were confirmed: (i) For stable rhythmic performance the paddle's acceleration at impact is negative and fluctuations of the impact acceleration follow predictions from global stability analysis; (ii) For each subject, the realizations of juggling for the different experimental conditions are related by the scaling relation. These results allow the conclusion that for the given task, humans reliably exploit the stable solutions inherent to the dynamics of the task and do not overrule these dynamics by other control mechanisms. The dynamical scaling serves as an efficient principle to generate different movement realizations from only a few parameter changes and is discussed as a dynamical formalization of the principle of motor equivalence.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Schaal, S., Sternad, D., Atkeson, C. G. One-handed juggling: A dynamical approach to a rhythmic movement task Journal of Motor Behavior, 28(2):165-183, 1996, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

1995

A kendama learning robot based on a dynamic optimization theory

Miyamoto, H., Gandolfo, F., Gomi, H., Schaal, S., Koike, Y., Osu, R., Nakano, E., Kawato, M.

In Preceedings of the 4th IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Communication (RO-MAN’95), pages: 327-332, Tokyo, July 1995, clmc (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

1995

am Miyamoto, H., Gandolfo, F., Gomi, H., Schaal, S., Koike, Y., Osu, R., Nakano, E., Kawato, M. A kendama learning robot based on a dynamic optimization theory In Preceedings of the 4th IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Communication (RO-MAN’95), pages: 327-332, Tokyo, July 1995, clmc (inproceedings)

[BibTex]

Batting a ball: Dynamics of a rhythmic skill

Sternad, D., Schaal, S., Atkeson, C. G.

In Studies in Perception and Action, pages: 119-122, (Editors: Bardy, B.;Bostma, R.;Guiard, Y.), Erlbaum, Hillsdayle, NJ, 1995, clmc (inbook)

[BibTex]

am Sternad, D., Schaal, S., Atkeson, C. G. Batting a ball: Dynamics of a rhythmic skill In Studies in Perception and Action, pages: 119-122, (Editors: Bardy, B.;Bostma, R.;Guiard, Y.), Erlbaum, Hillsdayle, NJ, 1995, clmc (inbook)

[BibTex]

Memory-based neural networks for robot learning

Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S.

Neurocomputing, 9, pages: 1-27, 1995, clmc (article)

Abstract

This paper explores a memory-based approach to robot learning, using memory-based neural networks to learn models of the task to be performed. Steinbuch and Taylor presented neural network designs to explicitly store training data and do nearest neighbor lookup in the early 1960s. In this paper their nearest neighbor network is augmented with a local model network, which fits a local model to a set of nearest neighbors. This network design is equivalent to a statistical approach known as locally weighted regression, in which a local model is formed to answer each query, using a weighted regression in which nearby points (similar experiences) are weighted more than distant points (less relevant experiences). We illustrate this approach by describing how it has been used to enable a robot to learn a difficult juggling task. Keywords: memory-based, robot learning, locally weighted regression, nearest neighbor, local models.

link (url) [BibTex]

am Atkeson, C. G., Schaal, S. Memory-based neural networks for robot learning Neurocomputing, 9, pages: 1-27, 1995, clmc (article)

link (url) [BibTex]

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