No Arabic abstract
We present a framework for bi-level trajectory optimization in which a systems dynamics are encoded as the solution to a constrained optimization problem and smooth gradients of this lower-level problem are passed to an upper-level trajectory optimizer. This optimization-based dynamics representation enables constraint handling, additional variables, and non-smooth forces to be abstracted away from the upper-level optimizer, and allows classical unconstrained optimizers to synthesize trajectories for more complex systems. We provide a path-following method for efficient evaluation of constrained dynamics and utilize the implicit-function theorem to compute smooth gradients of this representation. We demonstrate the framework by modeling systems from locomotion, aerospace, and manipulation domains including: acrobot with joint limits, cart-pole subject to Coulomb friction, Raibert hopper, rocket landing with thrust limits, and planar-push task with optimization-based dynamics and then optimize trajectories using iterative LQR.
Trajectory optimization with contact-rich behaviors has recently gained attention for generating diverse locomotion behaviors without pre-specified ground contact sequences. However, these approaches rely on precise models of robot dynamics and the terrain and are susceptible to uncertainty. Recent works have attempted to handle uncertainties in the system model, but few have investigated uncertainty in contact dynamics. In this study, we model uncertainty stemming from the terrain and design corresponding risk-sensitive objectives under the framework of contact-implicit trajectory optimization. In particular, we parameterize uncertainties from the terrain contact distance and friction coefficients using probability distributions and propose a corresponding expected residual minimization cost design approach. We evaluate our method in three simple robotic examples, including a legged hopping robot, and we benchmark one of our examples in simulation against a robust worst-case solution. We show that our risk-sensitive method produces contact-averse trajectories that are robust to terrain perturbations. Moreover, we demonstrate that the resulting trajectories converge to those generated by a traditional, non-robust method as the terrain model becomes more certain. Our study marks an important step towards a fully robust, contact-implicit approach suitable for deploying robots on real-world terrain.
This paper presents a novel approach using sensitivity analysis for generalizing Differential Dynamic Programming (DDP) to systems characterized by implicit dynamics, such as those modelled via inverse dynamics and variational or implicit integrators. It leads to a more general formulation of DDP, enabling for example the use of the faster recursive Newton-Euler inverse dynamics. We leverage the implicit formulation for precise and exact contact modelling in DDP, where we focus on two contributions: (1) Contact dynamics in acceleration level that enables high-order integration schemes; (2) Formulation using an invertible contact model in the forward pass and a closed form solution in the backward pass to improve the numerical resolution of contacts. The performance of the proposed framework is validated (1) by comparing implicit versus explicit DDP for the swing-up of a double pendulum, and (2) by planning motions for two tasks using a single leg model making multi-body contacts with the environment: standing up from ground, where a priori contact enumeration is challenging, and maintaining balance under an external perturbation.
This paper presents a novel methodology to model and optimize trajectories of a quadrupedal robot with spinal compliance to improve standing jump performance compared to quadrupeds with a rigid spine. We introduce an elastic model for a prismatic robotic spine that is actively preloaded and mechanically lock-enabled at initial and maximum length, and develop a constrained trajectory optimization method to co-optimize the elastic parameters and motion trajectories toward enhanced jumping distance. Results reveal that a less stiff spring is likely to facilitate jumping performance not as a direct propelling source but as a means to unleash more motor power for propelling by trading-off overall energy efficiency. We also visualize the impact of spring coefficients on the overall optimization routine from energetic perspectives to identify the suitable parameter region.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are expected to be an integral part of wireless networks, and determining collision-free trajectories for multiple UAVs while satisfying requirements of connectivity with ground base stations (GBSs) is a challenging task. In this paper, we first reformulate the multi-UAV trajectory optimization problem with collision avoidance and wireless connectivity constraints as a sequential decision making problem in the discrete time domain. We, then, propose a decentralized deep reinforcement learning approach to solve the problem. More specifically, a value network is developed to encode the expected time to destination given the agents joint state (including the agents information, the nearby agents observable information, and the locations of the nearby GBSs). A signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)-prediction neural network is also designed, using accumulated SINR measurements obtained when interacting with the cellular network, to map the GBSs locations into the SINR levels in order to predict the UAVs SINR. Numerical results show that with the value network and SINR-prediction network, real-time navigation for multi-UAVs can be efficiently performed in various environments with high success rate.
Benchmarks of state-of-the-art rigid-body dynamics libraries report better performance solving the inverse dynamics problem than the forward alternative. Those benchmarks encouraged us to question whether that computational advantage would translate to direct transcription, where calculating rigid-body dynamics and their derivatives accounts for a significant share of computation time. In this work, we implement an optimization framework where both approaches for enforcing the system dynamics are available. We evaluate the performance of each approach for systems of varying complexity, for domains with rigid contacts. Our tests reveal that formulations using inverse dynamics converge faster, require less iterations, and are more robust to coarse problem discretization. These results indicate that inverse dynamics should be preferred to enforce the nonlinear system dynamics in simultaneous methods, such as direct transcription.