Publications | Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

902 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2018

PIPPS: Flexible Model-Based Policy Search Robust to the Curse of Chaos

Parmas, P., Rasmussen, C., Peters, J., Doya, K.

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 4065-4074, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

2018

ei Parmas, P., Rasmussen, C., Peters, J., Doya, K. PIPPS: Flexible Model-Based Policy Search Robust to the Curse of Chaos Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 4065-4074, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Learning Independent Causal Mechanisms

Parascandolo, G., Kilbertus, N., Rojas-Carulla, M., Schölkopf, B.

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 4033-4041, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Parascandolo, G., Kilbertus, N., Rojas-Carulla, M., Schölkopf, B. Learning Independent Causal Mechanisms Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 4033-4041, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Learning an Approximate Model Predictive Controller with Guarantees

Hertneck, M., Koehler, J., Trimpe, S., Allgöwer, F.

IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2(3):543-548, July 2018 (article)

Abstract

A supervised learning framework is proposed to approximate a model predictive controller (MPC) with reduced computational complexity and guarantees on stability and constraint satisfaction. The framework can be used for a wide class of nonlinear systems. Any standard supervised learning technique (e.g. neural networks) can be employed to approximate the MPC from samples. In order to obtain closed-loop guarantees for the learned MPC, a robust MPC design is combined with statistical learning bounds. The MPC design ensures robustness to inaccurate inputs within given bounds, and Hoeffding’s Inequality is used to validate that the learned MPC satisfies these bounds with high confidence. The result is a closed-loop statistical guarantee on stability and constraint satisfaction for the learned MPC. The proposed learning-based MPC framework is illustrated on a nonlinear benchmark problem, for which we learn a neural network controller with guarantees.

ics

arXiv PDF DOI [BibTex]

ics Hertneck, M., Koehler, J., Trimpe, S., Allgöwer, F. Learning an Approximate Model Predictive Controller with Guarantees IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2(3):543-548, July 2018 (article)

arXiv PDF DOI [BibTex]

Robust Physics-based Motion Retargeting with Realistic Body Shapes

Borno, M. A., Righetti, L., Black, M. J., Delp, S. L., Fiume, E., Romero, J.

Computer Graphics Forum, 37, pages: 6:1-12, July 2018 (article)

Abstract

Motion capture is often retargeted to new, and sometimes drastically different, characters. When the characters take on realistic human shapes, however, we become more sensitive to the motion looking right. This means adapting it to be consistent with the physical constraints imposed by different body shapes. We show how to take realistic 3D human shapes, approximate them using a simplified representation, and animate them so that they move realistically using physically-based retargeting. We develop a novel spacetime optimization approach that learns and robustly adapts physical controllers to new bodies and constraints. The approach automatically adapts the motion of the mocap subject to the body shape of a target subject. This motion respects the physical properties of the new body and every body shape results in a different and appropriate movement. This makes it easy to create a varied set of motions from a single mocap sequence by simply varying the characters. In an interactive environment, successful retargeting requires adapting the motion to unexpected external forces. We achieve robustness to such forces using a novel LQR-tree formulation. We show that the simulated motions look appropriate to each character’s anatomy and their actions are robust to perturbations.

mg ps

pdf video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

mg ps Borno, M. A., Righetti, L., Black, M. J., Delp, S. L., Fiume, E., Romero, J. Robust Physics-based Motion Retargeting with Realistic Body Shapes Computer Graphics Forum, 37, pages: 6:1-12, July 2018 (article)

pdf video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Comparison-Based Random Forests

Haghiri, S., Garreau, D., Luxburg, U. V.

International Conference on Machine learning (ICML), 2018 (conference)

slt

link (url) [BibTex]

slt Haghiri, S., Garreau, D., Luxburg, U. V. Comparison-Based Random Forests International Conference on Machine learning (ICML), 2018 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

Nonstationary GANs: Analysis as Nonautonomous Dynamical Systems

Mehrjou, A., Schölkopf, B.

Workshop on Theoretical Foundations and Applications of Deep Generative Models at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

PDF [BibTex]

ei Mehrjou, A., Schölkopf, B. Nonstationary GANs: Analysis as Nonautonomous Dynamical Systems Workshop on Theoretical Foundations and Applications of Deep Generative Models at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

PDF [BibTex]

Probabilistic Recurrent State-Space Models

Doerr, A., Daniel, C., Schiegg, M., Nguyen-Tuong, D., Schaal, S., Toussaint, M., Trimpe, S.

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), July 2018 (inproceedings)

Abstract

State-space models (SSMs) are a highly expressive model class for learning patterns in time series data and for system identification. Deterministic versions of SSMs (e.g., LSTMs) proved extremely successful in modeling complex time-series data. Fully probabilistic SSMs, however, unfortunately often prove hard to train, even for smaller problems. To overcome this limitation, we propose a scalable initialization and training algorithm based on doubly stochastic variational inference and Gaussian processes. In the variational approximation we propose in contrast to related approaches to fully capture the latent state temporal correlations to allow for robust training.

am ics

arXiv pdf Project Page [BibTex]

am ics Doerr, A., Daniel, C., Schiegg, M., Nguyen-Tuong, D., Schaal, S., Toussaint, M., Trimpe, S. Probabilistic Recurrent State-Space Models In Proceedings of the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), July 2018 (inproceedings)

arXiv pdf Project Page [BibTex]

Convergence Rates of Gaussian ODE Filters

Kersting, H., Sullivan, T. J., Hennig, P.

arXiv preprint 2018, arXiv:1807.09737 [math.NA], July 2018 (article)

Abstract

A recently-introduced class of probabilistic (uncertainty-aware) solvers for ordinary differential equations (ODEs) applies Gaussian (Kalman) filtering to initial value problems. These methods model the true solution $x$ and its first $q$ derivatives a priori as a Gauss--Markov process $\boldsymbol{X}$, which is then iteratively conditioned on information about $\dot{x}$. We prove worst-case local convergence rates of order $h^{q+1}$ for a wide range of versions of this Gaussian ODE filter, as well as global convergence rates of order $h^q$ in the case of $q=1$ and an integrated Brownian motion prior, and analyse how inaccurate information on $\dot{x}$ coming from approximate evaluations of $f$ affects these rates. Moreover, we present explicit formulas for the steady states and show that the posterior confidence intervals are well calibrated in all considered cases that exhibit global convergence---in the sense that they globally contract at the same rate as the truncation error.

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

pn Kersting, H., Sullivan, T. J., Hennig, P. Convergence Rates of Gaussian ODE Filters arXiv preprint 2018, arXiv:1807.09737 [math.NA], July 2018 (article)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Teaching a Robot Bimanual Hand-Clapping Games via Wrist-Worn IMUs

Fitter, N. T., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Frontiers in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, 5(85), July 2018 (article)

Abstract

Colleagues often shake hands in greeting, friends connect through high fives, and children around the world rejoice in hand-clapping games. As robots become more common in everyday human life, they will have the opportunity to join in these social-physical interactions, but few current robots are intended to touch people in friendly ways. This article describes how we enabled a Baxter Research Robot to both teach and learn bimanual hand-clapping games with a human partner. Our system monitors the user's motions via a pair of inertial measurement units (IMUs) worn on the wrists. We recorded a labeled library of 10 common hand-clapping movements from 10 participants; this dataset was used to train an SVM classifier to automatically identify hand-clapping motions from previously unseen participants with a test-set classification accuracy of 97.0%. Baxter uses these sensors and this classifier to quickly identify the motions of its human gameplay partner, so that it can join in hand-clapping games. This system was evaluated by N = 24 naïve users in an experiment that involved learning sequences of eight motions from Baxter, teaching Baxter eight-motion game patterns, and completing a free interaction period. The motion classification accuracy in this less structured setting was 85.9%, primarily due to unexpected variations in motion timing. The quantitative task performance results and qualitative participant survey responses showed that learning games from Baxter was significantly easier than teaching games to Baxter, and that the teaching role caused users to consider more teamwork aspects of the gameplay. Over the course of the experiment, people felt more understood by Baxter and became more willing to follow the example of the robot. Users felt uniformly safe interacting with Baxter, and they expressed positive opinions of Baxter and reported fun interacting with the robot. Taken together, the results indicate that this robot achieved credible social-physical interaction with humans and that its ability to both lead and follow systematically changed the human partner's experience.

DOI [BibTex]

hi Fitter, N. T., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Teaching a Robot Bimanual Hand-Clapping Games via Wrist-Worn IMUs Frontiers in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, 5(85), July 2018 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Real-time Perception meets Reactive Motion Generation

(Best Systems Paper Finalists - Amazon Robotics Best Paper Awards in Manipulation)

Kappler, D., Meier, F., Issac, J., Mainprice, J., Garcia Cifuentes, C., Wüthrich, M., Berenz, V., Schaal, S., Ratliff, N., Bohg, J.

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 3(3):1864-1871, July 2018 (article)

Abstract

We address the challenging problem of robotic grasping and manipulation in the presence of uncertainty. This uncertainty is due to noisy sensing, inaccurate models and hard-to-predict environment dynamics. Our approach emphasizes the importance of continuous, real-time perception and its tight integration with reactive motion generation methods. We present a fully integrated system where real-time object and robot tracking as well as ambient world modeling provides the necessary input to feedback controllers and continuous motion optimizers. Specifically, they provide attractive and repulsive potentials based on which the controllers and motion optimizer can online compute movement policies at different time intervals. We extensively evaluate the proposed system on a real robotic platform in four scenarios that exhibit either challenging workspace geometry or a dynamic environment. We compare the proposed integrated system with a more traditional sense-plan-act approach that is still widely used. In 333 experiments, we show the robustness and accuracy of the proposed system.

arxiv video video link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

am Kappler, D., Meier, F., Issac, J., Mainprice, J., Garcia Cifuentes, C., Wüthrich, M., Berenz, V., Schaal, S., Ratliff, N., Bohg, J. Real-time Perception meets Reactive Motion Generation IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 3(3):1864-1871, July 2018 (article)

arxiv video video link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Differentially Private Database Release via Kernel Mean Embeddings

Balog, M., Tolstikhin, I., Schölkopf, B.

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 423-431, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

ei Balog, M., Tolstikhin, I., Schölkopf, B. Differentially Private Database Release via Kernel Mean Embeddings Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 423-431, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

On Matching Pursuit and Coordinate Descent

Locatello, F., Raj, A., Praneeth Karimireddy, S., Rätsch, G., Schölkopf, B., Stich, S. U., Jaggi, M.

Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 3204-3213, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Locatello, F., Raj, A., Praneeth Karimireddy, S., Rätsch, G., Schölkopf, B., Stich, S. U., Jaggi, M. On Matching Pursuit and Coordinate Descent Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), 80, pages: 3204-3213, Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, (Editors: Dy, Jennifer and Krause, Andreas), PMLR, July 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Iterative Model-Fitting and Local Controller Optimization - Towards a Better Understanding of Convergence Properties

Wüthrich, M., Schölkopf, B.

Workshop on Prediction and Generative Modeling in Reinforcement Learning at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

PDF link (url) [BibTex]

ei Wüthrich, M., Schölkopf, B. Iterative Model-Fitting and Local Controller Optimization - Towards a Better Understanding of Convergence Properties Workshop on Prediction and Generative Modeling in Reinforcement Learning at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

PDF link (url) [BibTex]

Counterfactual Mean Embedding: A Kernel Method for Nonparametric Causal Inference

Muandet, K., Kanagawa, M., Saengkyongam, S., Marukata, S.

Workshop on Machine Learning for Causal Inference, Counterfactual Prediction, and Autonomous Action (CausalML) at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

[BibTex]

ei Muandet, K., Kanagawa, M., Saengkyongam, S., Marukata, S. Counterfactual Mean Embedding: A Kernel Method for Nonparametric Causal Inference Workshop on Machine Learning for Causal Inference, Counterfactual Prediction, and Autonomous Action (CausalML) at ICML, July 2018 (conference)

[BibTex]

Innate turning preference of leaf-cutting ants in the absence of external orientation cues

Endlein, T., Sitti, M.

Journal of Experimental Biology, The Company of Biologists Ltd, June 2018 (article)

Abstract

Many ants use a combination of cues for orientation but how do ants find their way when all external cues are suppressed? Do they walk in a random way or are their movements spatially oriented? Here we show for the first time that leaf-cutting ants (Acromyrmex lundii) have an innate preference of turning counter-clockwise (left) when external cues are precluded. We demonstrated this by allowing individual ants to run freely on the water surface of a newly-developed treadmill. The surface tension supported medium-sized workers but effectively prevented ants from reaching the wall of the vessel, important to avoid wall-following behaviour (thigmotaxis). Most ants ran for minutes on the spot but also slowly turned counter-clockwise in the absence of visual cues. Reconstructing the effectively walked path revealed a looping pattern which could be interpreted as a search strategy. A similar turning bias was shown for groups of ants in a symmetrical Y-maze where twice as many ants chose the left branch in the absence of optical cues. Wall-following behaviour was tested by inserting a coiled tube before the Y-fork. When ants traversed a left-coiled tube, more ants chose the left box and vice versa. Adding visual cues in form of vertical black strips either outside the treadmill or on one branch of the Y-maze led to oriented walks towards the strips. It is suggested that both, the turning bias and the wall-following are employed as search strategies for an unknown environment which can be overridden by visual cues.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Endlein, T., Sitti, M. Innate turning preference of leaf-cutting ants in the absence of external orientation cues Journal of Experimental Biology, The Company of Biologists Ltd, June 2018 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Motility and chemotaxis of bacteria-driven microswimmers fabricated using antigen 43-mediated biotin display

Schauer, O., Mostaghaci, B., Colin, R., Hürtgen, D., Kraus, D., Sitti, M., Sourjik, V.

Scientific Reports, 8(1):9801, Nature Publishing Group, June 2018 (article)

Abstract

Bacteria-driven biohybrid microswimmers (bacteriabots) combine synthetic cargo with motile living bacteria that enable propulsion and steering. Although fabrication and potential use of such bacteriabots have attracted much attention, existing methods of fabrication require an extensive sample preparation that can drastically decrease the viability and motility of bacteria. Moreover, chemotactic behavior of bacteriabots in a liquid medium with chemical gradients has remained largely unclear. To overcome these shortcomings, we designed Escherichia coli to autonomously display biotin on its cell surface via the engineered autotransporter antigen 43 and thus to bind streptavidin-coated cargo. We show that the cargo attachment to these bacteria is greatly enhanced by motility and occurs predominantly at the cell poles, which is greatly beneficial for the fabrication of motile bacteriabots. We further performed a systemic study to understand and optimize the ability of these bacteriabots to follow chemical gradients. We demonstrate that the chemotaxis of bacteriabots is primarily limited by the cargo-dependent reduction of swimming speed and show that the fabrication of bacteriabots using elongated E. coli cells can be used to overcome this limitation.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Schauer, O., Mostaghaci, B., Colin, R., Hürtgen, D., Kraus, D., Sitti, M., Sourjik, V. Motility and chemotaxis of bacteria-driven microswimmers fabricated using antigen 43-mediated biotin display Scientific Reports, 8(1):9801, Nature Publishing Group, June 2018 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Event-triggered Learning for Resource-efficient Networked Control

Solowjow, F., Baumann, D., Garcke, J., Trimpe, S.

In Proceedings of the American Control Conference (ACC), pages: 6506 - 6512, American Control Conference, June 2018 (inproceedings)

ics

arXiv PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ics Solowjow, F., Baumann, D., Garcke, J., Trimpe, S. Event-triggered Learning for Resource-efficient Networked Control In Proceedings of the American Control Conference (ACC), pages: 6506 - 6512, American Control Conference, June 2018 (inproceedings)

arXiv PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Multifunctional ferrofluid-infused surfaces with reconfigurable multiscale topography

Wang, W., Timonen, J. V. I., Carlson, A., Drotlef, D., Zhang, C. T., Kolle, S., Grinthal, A., Wong, T., Hatton, B., Kang, S. H., Kennedy, S., Chi, J., Blough, R. T., Sitti, M., Mahadevan, L., Aizenberg, J.

Nature, June 2018 (article)

Abstract

Developing adaptive materials with geometries that change in response to external stimuli provides fundamental insights into the links between the physical forces involved and the resultant morphologies and creates a foundation for technologically relevant dynamic systems1,2. In particular, reconfigurable surface topography as a means to control interfacial properties 3 has recently been explored using responsive gels 4 , shape-memory polymers 5 , liquid crystals6-8 and hybrid composites9-14, including magnetically active slippery surfaces12-14. However, these designs exhibit a limited range of topographical changes and thus a restricted scope of function. Here we introduce a hierarchical magneto-responsive composite surface, made by infiltrating a ferrofluid into a microstructured matrix (termed ferrofluid-containing liquid-infused porous surfaces, or FLIPS). We demonstrate various topographical reconfigurations at multiple length scales and a broad range of associated emergent behaviours. An applied magnetic-field gradient induces the movement of magnetic nanoparticles suspended in the ferrofluid, which leads to microscale flow of the ferrofluid first above and then within the microstructured surface. This redistribution changes the initially smooth surface of the ferrofluid (which is immobilized by the porous matrix through capillary forces) into various multiscale hierarchical topographies shaped by the size, arrangement and orientation of the confining microstructures in the magnetic field. We analyse the spatial and temporal dynamics of these reconfigurations theoretically and experimentally as a function of the balance between capillary and magnetic pressures15-19 and of the geometric anisotropy of the FLIPS system. Several interesting functions at three different length scales are demonstrated: self-assembly of colloidal particles at the micrometre scale; regulated flow of liquid droplets at the millimetre scale; and switchable adhesion and friction, liquid pumping and removal of biofilms at the centimetre scale. We envision that FLIPS could be used as part of integrated control systems for the manipulation and transport of matter, thermal management, microfluidics and fouling-release materials.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Wang, W., Timonen, J. V. I., Carlson, A., Drotlef, D., Zhang, C. T., Kolle, S., Grinthal, A., Wong, T., Hatton, B., Kang, S. H., Kennedy, S., Chi, J., Blough, R. T., Sitti, M., Mahadevan, L., Aizenberg, J. Multifunctional ferrofluid-infused surfaces with reconfigurable multiscale topography Nature, June 2018 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Colloidal Chemical Nanomotors

Alarcon-Correa, M.

Colloidal Chemical Nanomotors, pages: 150, Cuvillier Verlag, MPI-IS , June 2018 (phdthesis)

Abstract

Synthetic sophisticated nanostructures represent a fundamental building block for the development of nanotechnology. The fabrication of nanoparticles complex in structure and material composition is key to build nanomachines that can operate as man-made nanoscale motors, which autonomously convert external energy into motion. To achieve this, asymmetric nanoparticles were fabricated combining a physical vapor deposition technique known as NanoGLAD and wet chemical synthesis. This thesis primarily concerns three complex colloidal systems that have been developed: i)Hollow nanocup inclusion complexes that have a single Au nanoparticle in their pocket. The Au particle can be released with an external trigger. ii)The smallest self-propelling nanocolloids that have been made to date, which give rise to a local concentration gradient that causes enhanced diffusion of the particles. iii)Enzyme-powered pumps that have been assembled using bacteriophages as biological nanoscaffolds. This construct also can be used for enzyme recovery after heterogeneous catalysis.

[BibTex]

pf Alarcon-Correa, M. Colloidal Chemical Nanomotors Colloidal Chemical Nanomotors, pages: 150, Cuvillier Verlag, MPI-IS , June 2018 (phdthesis)

[BibTex]

Reducing 3D Vibrations to 1D in Real Time

Park, G., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Hands-on demonstration presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Abstract

In this demonstration, you will hold two pen-shaped modules: an in-pen and an out-pen. The in-pen is instrumented with a high-bandwidth three-axis accelerometer, and the out-pen contains a one-axis voice coil actuator. Use the in-pen to interact with different surfaces; the measured 3D accelerations are continually converted into 1D vibrations and rendered with the out-pen for you to feel. You can test conversion methods that range from simply selecting a single axis to applying a discrete Fourier transform or principal component analysis for realistic and brisk real-time conversion.

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Park, G., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Reducing 3D Vibrations to 1D in Real Time Hands-on demonstration presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Conditional Affordance Learning for Driving in Urban Environments

Conference on Robot Learning 2018, 2018 (conference)

avg

pdf suppmat Video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

avg Conditional Affordance Learning for Driving in Urban Environments Conference on Robot Learning 2018, 2018 (conference)

pdf suppmat Video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Infinite Factorial Finite State Machine for Blind Multiuser Channel Estimation

Ruiz, F. J. R., Valera, I., Svensson, L., Perez-Cruz, F.

IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking, 4(2):177-191, June 2018 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Ruiz, F. J. R., Valera, I., Svensson, L., Perez-Cruz, F. Infinite Factorial Finite State Machine for Blind Multiuser Channel Estimation IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking, 4(2):177-191, June 2018 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Frame-Recurrent Video Super-Resolution

Sajjadi, M. S. M., Vemulapalli, R., Brown, M.

IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) , June 2018 (conference)

ArXiv link (url) [BibTex]

ei Sajjadi, M. S. M., Vemulapalli, R., Brown, M. Frame-Recurrent Video Super-Resolution IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) , June 2018 (conference)

ArXiv link (url) [BibTex]

Oncilla robot: a versatile open-source quadruped research robot with compliant pantograph legs

Sproewitz, A., Tuleu, A., Ajallooeian, M., Vespignani, M., Moeckel, R., Eckert, P., D’Haene, M., Degrave, J., Nordmann, A., Schrauwen, B., Steil, J., Ijspeert, A. J.

Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 5(67), June 2018, arXiv: 1803.06259 (article)

Abstract

We present Oncilla robot, a novel mobile, quadruped legged locomotion machine. This large-cat sized, 5.1 robot is one of a kind of a recent, bioinspired legged robot class designed with the capability of model-free locomotion control. Animal legged locomotion in rough terrain is clearly shaped by sensor feedback systems. Results with Oncilla robot show that agile and versatile locomotion is possible without sensory signals to some extend, and tracking becomes robust when feedback control is added (Ajaoolleian 2015). By incorporating mechanical and control blueprints inspired from animals, and by observing the resulting robot locomotion characteristics, we aim to understand the contribution of individual components. Legged robots have a wide mechanical and control design parameter space, and a unique potential as research tools to investigate principles of biomechanics and legged locomotion control. But the hardware and controller design can be a steep initial hurdle for academic research. To facilitate the easy start and development of legged robots, Oncilla-robot's blueprints are available through open-source. [...]

dlg

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

dlg Sproewitz, A., Tuleu, A., Ajallooeian, M., Vespignani, M., Moeckel, R., Eckert, P., D’Haene, M., Degrave, J., Nordmann, A., Schrauwen, B., Steil, J., Ijspeert, A. J. Oncilla robot: a versatile open-source quadruped research robot with compliant pantograph legs Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 5(67), June 2018, arXiv: 1803.06259 (article)

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Haptipedia: Exploring Haptic Device Design Through Interactive Visualizations

Seifi, H., Fazlollahi, F., Park, G., Kuchenbecker, K. J., MacLean, K. E.

Hands-on demonstration presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Abstract

How many haptic devices have been proposed in the last 30 years? How can we leverage this rich source of design knowledge to inspire future innovations? Our goal is to make historical haptic invention accessible through interactive visualization of a comprehensive library – a Haptipedia – of devices that have been annotated with designer-relevant metadata. In this demonstration, participants can explore Haptipedia’s growing library of grounded force feedback devices through several prototype visualizations, interact with 3D simulations of the device mechanisms and movements, and tell us about the attributes and devices that could make Haptipedia a useful resource for the haptic design community.

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Seifi, H., Fazlollahi, F., Park, G., Kuchenbecker, K. J., MacLean, K. E. Haptipedia: Exploring Haptic Device Design Through Interactive Visualizations Hands-on demonstration presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Learning Face Deblurring Fast and Wide

Jin, M., Hirsch, M., Favaro, P.

The IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Workshops, pages: 745-753, June 2018 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

ei Jin, M., Hirsch, M., Favaro, P. Learning Face Deblurring Fast and Wide The IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Workshops, pages: 745-753, June 2018 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

Delivering 6-DOF Fingertip Tactile Cues

Young, E., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Work-in-progress paper (5 pages) presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Young, E., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Delivering 6-DOF Fingertip Tactile Cues Work-in-progress paper (5 pages) presented at EuroHaptics, Pisa, Italy, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Designing a Haptic Empathetic Robot Animal for Children with Autism

Burns, R., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Workshop paper (4 pages) presented at the Robotics: Science and Systems Workshop on Robot-Mediated Autism Intervention: Hardware, Software and Curriculum, Pittsburgh, USA, June 2018 (misc)

Abstract

Children with autism often endure sensory overload, may be nonverbal, and have difficulty understanding and relaying emotions. These experiences result in heightened stress during social interaction. Animal-assisted intervention has been found to improve the behavior of children with autism during social interaction, but live animal companions are not always feasible. We are thus in the process of designing a robotic animal to mimic some successful characteristics of animal-assisted intervention while trying to improve on others. The over-arching hypothesis of this research is that an appropriately designed robot animal can reduce stress in children with autism and empower them to engage in social interaction.

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

hi Burns, R., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Designing a Haptic Empathetic Robot Animal for Children with Autism Workshop paper (4 pages) presented at the Robotics: Science and Systems Workshop on Robot-Mediated Autism Intervention: Hardware, Software and Curriculum, Pittsburgh, USA, June 2018 (misc)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Soft Multi-Axis Boundary-Electrode Tactile Sensors for Whole-Body Robotic Skin

Lee, H., Kim, J., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Workshop paper (2 pages) presented at the RSS Pioneers Workshop, Pittsburgh, USA, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Lee, H., Kim, J., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Soft Multi-Axis Boundary-Electrode Tactile Sensors for Whole-Body Robotic Skin Workshop paper (2 pages) presented at the RSS Pioneers Workshop, Pittsburgh, USA, June 2018 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Learning from Outside the Viability Kernel: Why we Should Build Robots that can Fail with Grace

Heim, S., Sproewitz, A.

Proceedings of SIMPAR 2018, pages: 55-61, IEEE, 2018 IEEE International Conference on Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots (SIMPAR), May 2018 (conference)

dlg

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

dlg Heim, S., Sproewitz, A. Learning from Outside the Viability Kernel: Why we Should Build Robots that can Fail with Grace Proceedings of SIMPAR 2018, pages: 55-61, IEEE, 2018 IEEE International Conference on Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots (SIMPAR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Self-Sensing Paper Actuators Based on Graphite–Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Films

Amjadi, M., Sitti, M.

Advanced Science, pages: 1800239, May 2018 (article)

Abstract

Abstract Soft actuators have demonstrated potential in a range of applications, including soft robotics, artificial muscles, and biomimetic devices. However, the majority of current soft actuators suffer from the lack of real-time sensory feedback, prohibiting their effective sensing and multitask function. Here, a promising strategy is reported to design bilayer electrothermal actuators capable of simultaneous actuation and sensation (i.e., self-sensing actuators), merely through two input electric terminals. Decoupled electrothermal stimulation and strain sensation is achieved by the optimal combination of graphite microparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the form of hybrid films. By finely tuning the charge transport properties of hybrid films, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of self-sensing actuators is remarkably enhanced to over 66. As a result, self-sensing actuators can actively track their displacement and distinguish the touch of soft and hard objects.

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

pi Amjadi, M., Sitti, M. Self-Sensing Paper Actuators Based on Graphite–Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Films Advanced Science, pages: 1800239, May 2018 (article)

link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Bioinspired microrobots

Palagi, S., Fischer, P.

Nature Reviews Materials, 3, pages: 113–124, May 2018 (article)

Abstract

Microorganisms can move in complex media, respond to the environment and self-organize. The field of microrobotics strives to achieve these functions in mobile robotic systems of sub-millimetre size. However, miniaturization of traditional robots and their control systems to the microscale is not a viable approach. A promising alternative strategy in developing microrobots is to implement sensing, actuation and control directly in the materials, thereby mimicking biological matter. In this Review, we discuss design principles and materials for the implementation of robotic functionalities in microrobots. We examine different biological locomotion strategies, and we discuss how they can be artificially recreated in magnetic microrobots and how soft materials improve control and performance. We show that smart, stimuli-responsive materials can act as on-board sensors and actuators and that ‘active matter’ enables autonomous motion, navigation and collective behaviours. Finally, we provide a critical outlook for the field of microrobotics and highlight the challenges that need to be overcome to realize sophisticated microrobots, which one day might rival biological machines.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pf Palagi, S., Fischer, P. Bioinspired microrobots Nature Reviews Materials, 3, pages: 113–124, May 2018 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Wasserstein Auto-Encoders

Tolstikhin, I., Bousquet, O., Gelly, S., Schölkopf, B.

6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Tolstikhin, I., Bousquet, O., Gelly, S., Schölkopf, B. Wasserstein Auto-Encoders 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Fidelity-Weighted Learning

Dehghani, M., Mehrjou, A., Gouws, S., Kamps, J., Schölkopf, B.

6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Dehghani, M., Mehrjou, A., Gouws, S., Kamps, J., Schölkopf, B. Fidelity-Weighted Learning 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Inducing Probabilistic Context-Free Grammars for the Sequencing of Movement Primitives

Lioutikov, R., Maeda, G., Veiga, F., Kersting, K., Peters, J.

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, (ICRA), pages: 1-8, IEEE, May 2018 (conference)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Lioutikov, R., Maeda, G., Veiga, F., Kersting, K., Peters, J. Inducing Probabilistic Context-Free Grammars for the Sequencing of Movement Primitives IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, (ICRA), pages: 1-8, IEEE, May 2018 (conference)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Sobolev GAN

Mroueh, Y., Li*, C., Sercu*, T., Raj*, A., Cheng, Y.

6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018, *equal contribution (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Mroueh, Y., Li*, C., Sercu*, T., Raj*, A., Cheng, Y. Sobolev GAN 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018, *equal contribution (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Assisting Movement Training and Execution With Visual and Haptic Feedback

Ewerton, M., Rother, D., Weimar, J., Kollegger, G., Wiemeyer, J., Peters, J., Maeda, G.

Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 12, May 2018 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Ewerton, M., Rother, D., Weimar, J., Kollegger, G., Wiemeyer, J., Peters, J., Maeda, G. Assisting Movement Training and Execution With Visual and Haptic Feedback Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 12, May 2018 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Soft Miniaturized Linear Actuators Wirelessly Powered by Rotating Permanent Magnets

Qiu, T., Palagi, S., Sachs, J., Fischer, P.

In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pages: 3595-3600, May 2018 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Wireless actuation by magnetic fields allows for the operation of untethered miniaturized devices, e.g. in biomedical applications. Nevertheless, generating large controlled forces over relatively large distances is challenging. Magnetic torques are easier to generate and control, but they are not always suitable for the tasks at hand. Moreover, strong magnetic fields are required to generate a sufficient torque, which are difficult to achieve with electromagnets. Here, we demonstrate a soft miniaturized actuator that transforms an externally applied magnetic torque into a controlled linear force. We report the design, fabrication and characterization of both the actuator and the magnetic field generator. We show that the magnet assembly, which is based on a set of rotating permanent magnets, can generate strong controlled oscillating fields over a relatively large workspace. The actuator, which is 3D-printed, can lift a load of more than 40 times its weight. Finally, we show that the actuator can be further miniaturized, paving the way towards strong, wirelessly powered microactuators.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pf Qiu, T., Palagi, S., Sachs, J., Fischer, P. Soft Miniaturized Linear Actuators Wirelessly Powered by Rotating Permanent Magnets In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pages: 3595-3600, May 2018 (inproceedings)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Temporal Difference Models: Model-Free Deep RL for Model-Based Control

Pong*, V., Gu*, S., Dalal, M., Levine, S.

6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018, *equal contribution (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Pong*, V., Gu*, S., Dalal, M., Levine, S. Temporal Difference Models: Model-Free Deep RL for Model-Based Control 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018, *equal contribution (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Robust Dense Mapping for Large-Scale Dynamic Environments

Barsan, I. A., Liu, P., Pollefeys, M., Geiger, A.

In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018 (inproceedings)

Abstract

We present a stereo-based dense mapping algorithm for large-scale dynamic urban environments. In contrast to other existing methods, we simultaneously reconstruct the static background, the moving objects, and the potentially moving but currently stationary objects separately, which is desirable for high-level mobile robotic tasks such as path planning in crowded environments. We use both instance-aware semantic segmentation and sparse scene flow to classify objects as either background, moving, or potentially moving, thereby ensuring that the system is able to model objects with the potential to transition from static to dynamic, such as parked cars. Given camera poses estimated from visual odometry, both the background and the (potentially) moving objects are reconstructed separately by fusing the depth maps computed from the stereo input. In addition to visual odometry, sparse scene flow is also used to estimate the 3D motions of the detected moving objects, in order to reconstruct them accurately. A map pruning technique is further developed to improve reconstruction accuracy and reduce memory consumption, leading to increased scalability. We evaluate our system thoroughly on the well-known KITTI dataset. Our system is capable of running on a PC at approximately 2.5Hz, with the primary bottleneck being the instance-aware semantic segmentation, which is a limitation we hope to address in future work.

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pdf Video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

avg Barsan, I. A., Liu, P., Pollefeys, M., Geiger, A. Robust Dense Mapping for Large-Scale Dynamic Environments In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018 (inproceedings)

pdf Video Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Haptics and Haptic Interfaces

Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Encyclopedia of Robotics, (Editors: Marcelo H. Ang and Oussama Khatib and Bruno Siciliano), Springer, May 2018 (incollection)

Abstract

Haptics is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to both understand and engineer touch-based interaction. Although a wide range of systems and applications are being investigated, haptics researchers often concentrate on perception and manipulation through the human hand. A haptic interface is a mechatronic system that modulates the physical interaction between a human and his or her tangible surroundings. Haptic interfaces typically involve mechanical, electrical, and computational layers that work together to sense user motions or forces, quickly process these inputs with other information, and physically respond by actuating elements of the user’s surroundings, thereby enabling him or her to act on and feel a remote and/or virtual environment.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

hi Kuchenbecker, K. J. Haptics and Haptic Interfaces In Encyclopedia of Robotics, (Editors: Marcelo H. Ang and Oussama Khatib and Bruno Siciliano), Springer, May 2018 (incollection)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Wasserstein Auto-Encoders: Latent Dimensionality and Random Encoders

Rubenstein, P. K., Schölkopf, B., Tolstikhin, I.

Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Rubenstein, P. K., Schölkopf, B., Tolstikhin, I. Wasserstein Auto-Encoders: Latent Dimensionality and Random Encoders Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Impact of Trunk Orientation for Dynamic Bipedal Locomotion

Drama, O.

Dynamic Walking Conference, May 2018 (talk)

Abstract

Impact of trunk orientation for dynamic bipedal locomotion My research revolves around investigating the functional demands of bipedal running, with focus on stabilizing trunk orientation. When we think about postural stability, there are two critical questions we need to answer: What are the necessary and sufficient conditions to achieve and maintain trunk stability? I am concentrating on how morphology affects control strategies in achieving trunk stability. In particular, I denote the trunk pitch as the predominant morphology parameter and explore the requirements it imposes on a chosen control strategy. To analyze this, I use a spring loaded inverted pendulum model extended with a rigid trunk, which is actuated by a hip motor. The challenge for the controller design here is to have a single hip actuator to achieve two coupled tasks of moving the legs to generate motion and stabilizing the trunk. I enforce orthograde and pronograde postures and aim to identify the effect of these trunk orientations on the hip torque and ground reaction profiles for different control strategies.

dlg

Impact of trunk orientation for dynamic bipedal locomotion [DW 2018] link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

dlg Drama, O. Impact of Trunk Orientation for Dynamic Bipedal Locomotion Dynamic Walking Conference, May 2018 (talk)

Impact of trunk orientation for dynamic bipedal locomotion [DW 2018] link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Leave no Trace: Learning to Reset for Safe and Autonomous Reinforcement Learning

Eysenbach, B., Gu, S., Ibarz, J., Levine, S.

6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

Videos link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Eysenbach, B., Gu, S., Ibarz, J., Levine, S. Leave no Trace: Learning to Reset for Safe and Autonomous Reinforcement Learning 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

Videos link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Online Learning of a Memory for Learning Rates

(nominated for best paper award)

Meier, F., Kappler, D., Schaal, S.

In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018, accepted (inproceedings)

Abstract

The promise of learning to learn for robotics rests on the hope that by extracting some information about the learning process itself we can speed up subsequent similar learning tasks. Here, we introduce a computationally efficient online meta-learning algorithm that builds and optimizes a memory model of the optimal learning rate landscape from previously observed gradient behaviors. While performing task specific optimization, this memory of learning rates predicts how to scale currently observed gradients. After applying the gradient scaling our meta-learner updates its internal memory based on the observed effect its prediction had. Our meta-learner can be combined with any gradient-based optimizer, learns on the fly and can be transferred to new optimization tasks. In our evaluations we show that our meta-learning algorithm speeds up learning of MNIST classification and a variety of learning control tasks, either in batch or online learning settings.

pdf video code [BibTex]

am Meier, F., Kappler, D., Schaal, S. Online Learning of a Memory for Learning Rates In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018, accepted (inproceedings)

pdf video code [BibTex]

Learning 3D Shape Completion under Weak Supervision

Stutz, D., Geiger, A.

Arxiv, May 2018 (article)

Abstract

We address the problem of 3D shape completion from sparse and noisy point clouds, a fundamental problem in computer vision and robotics. Recent approaches are either data-driven or learning-based: Data-driven approaches rely on a shape model whose parameters are optimized to fit the observations; Learning-based approaches, in contrast, avoid the expensive optimization step by learning to directly predict complete shapes from incomplete observations in a fully-supervised setting. However, full supervision is often not available in practice. In this work, we propose a weakly-supervised learning-based approach to 3D shape completion which neither requires slow optimization nor direct supervision. While we also learn a shape prior on synthetic data, we amortize, i.e., learn, maximum likelihood fitting using deep neural networks resulting in efficient shape completion without sacrificing accuracy. On synthetic benchmarks based on ShapeNet and ModelNet as well as on real robotics data from KITTI and Kinect, we demonstrate that the proposed amortized maximum likelihood approach is able to compete with fully supervised baselines and outperforms data-driven approaches, while requiring less supervision and being significantly faster.

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PDF Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

avg Stutz, D., Geiger, A. Learning 3D Shape Completion under Weak Supervision Arxiv, May 2018 (article)

PDF Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Tempered Adversarial Networks

Sajjadi, M. S. M., Parascandolo, G., Mehrjou, A., Schölkopf, B.

Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

arXiv [BibTex]

ei Sajjadi, M. S. M., Parascandolo, G., Mehrjou, A., Schölkopf, B. Tempered Adversarial Networks Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

arXiv [BibTex]

Learning Coupled Forward-Inverse Models with Combined Prediction Errors

Koert, D., Maeda, G., Neumann, G., Peters, J.

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, (ICRA), pages: 2433-2439, IEEE, May 2018 (conference)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Koert, D., Maeda, G., Neumann, G., Peters, J. Learning Coupled Forward-Inverse Models with Combined Prediction Errors IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, (ICRA), pages: 2433-2439, IEEE, May 2018 (conference)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Learning Disentangled Representations with Wasserstein Auto-Encoders

Rubenstein, P. K., Schölkopf, B., Tolstikhin, I.

Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ei Rubenstein, P. K., Schölkopf, B., Tolstikhin, I. Learning Disentangled Representations with Wasserstein Auto-Encoders Workshop at the 6th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), May 2018 (conference)

link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Shaping in Practice: Training Wheels to Learn Fast Hopping Directly in Hardware

Heim, S., Ruppert, F., Sarvestani, A., Sproewitz, A.

In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, pages: 5076-5081, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Learning instead of designing robot controllers can greatly reduce engineering effort required, while also emphasizing robustness. Despite considerable progress in simulation, applying learning directly in hardware is still challenging, in part due to the necessity to explore potentially unstable parameters. We explore the of concept shaping the reward landscape with training wheels; temporary modifications of the physical hardware that facilitate learning. We demonstrate the concept with a robot leg mounted on a boom learning to hop fast. This proof of concept embodies typical challenges such as instability and contact, while being simple enough to empirically map out and visualize the reward landscape. Based on our results we propose three criteria for designing effective training wheels for learning in robotics.

dlg

Video Youtube link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

dlg Heim, S., Ruppert, F., Sarvestani, A., Sproewitz, A. Shaping in Practice: Training Wheels to Learn Fast Hopping Directly in Hardware In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018, pages: 5076-5081, IEEE, International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2018 (inproceedings)

Video Youtube link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

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