@conference {CSB-ICRA10, title = {Design for Variable Stiffness Actuation based on Enumeration and Analysis of Performance}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2010)}, year = {2010}, month = {May 3 - 8}, pages = {3285 - 3291}, address = {Anchorage, Alaska}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. G. Catalano and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {CGBSB10, title = {VSA-HD: From the Enumeration Analysis to the Prototypical Implementation}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems}, year = {2010}, month = {October}, pages = {3676 - 3681}, address = {St. Louis MO USA}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and F. Bonomo and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SFB-ICRA09, title = {Integration of Active and Passive Compliance Control for Safe Human-Robot Coexistence}, booktitle = {Int. Conference of Robotics and Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {May, 12 - 17}, pages = {259 - 264}, address = {Kobe, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {R. Schiavi and F. Flacco and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DLFSB-IROS09, title = {Nonlinear Decoupled Motion-Stiffness Control and Collision Detection/Reaction for the VSA-II Variable Stiffness Device}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems}, year = {2009}, month = {October, 11 - 15}, pages = {5487-5494}, address = {St. Louis MO USA}, abstract = {

Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) devices are being used to jointly address the issues of safety and performance in physical human-robot interaction. With reference to the VSA-II prototype, we present a feedback linearization approach that allows the simultaneous decoupling and accurate tracking of motion and stiffness reference profiles. The operative condition that avoids control singularities is characterized. Moreover, a momentum-based collision detection scheme is introduced, which does not require joint torque sensing nor information on the time-varying stiffness of the device. Based on the residual signal, a collision reaction strategy is proposed that takes advantage of the proposed nonlinear control to rapidly let the arm bounce away after detecting the impact, while limiting contact forces through a sudden reduction of the stiffness. Simulations results are presented to illustrate the performance of the overall approach. Extensions to the multi-dof case of robot manipulators equipped with VSA-II devices are also considered.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robotics}, author = {A. De Luca and F. Flacco and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {AMC08, title = {Physical Human-Robot Interaction: Dependability, Safety, and Performance}, booktitle = {Proc. 10th Intl. Workshop Advanced Motion Control}, year = {2008}, pages = {9-14}, abstract = {

In this paper we discuss the problem of achieving good performance in accuracy and promptness by a robot manipulator under the condition that safety is guaranteed throughout task execution. Intuitively, while a rigid and powerful structure of the arm would favor its performance, lightweight compliant structures are more suitable for safe operation. The quantitative analysis of the resulting design trade-off between safety and performance has a strong impact on how robot mechanisms and controllers should be designed for human-interactive applications. We discuss few different possible concepts for safely actuating joints, and focus on aspects related to the implementation of the mechanics and control of this new class of robots.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Bavaro and G. Boccadamo and D. De Carli and R. Filippini and G. Grioli and M. Piccigallo and A. Rosi and R. Schiavi and S. Sen and G. Tonietti} } @conference {BDSP:ECC07, title = {A Component-Based Approach to Localization and Collision Avoidance for Mobile Multi-Agent Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. European Control Conference (ECC)}, year = {2007}, month = {July}, pages = {4285-4292}, abstract = {

In the RUNES project a disaster relief tunnel scenario is being developed in which mobile robots are used to restore the radio network connectivity in a stationary sensor network. A component-based software development approach has been adopted. Two components are described in this paper. A localization component that uses ultrasound and dead reckoning to decide the robot positions and a collision avoidance component that ensures that the robots do not collide with each other.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Alriksson and J. Nordh and K -E Arz{\'e}n and A. Bicchi and A. Danesi and R. Schiavi and L. Pallottino} } @conference {DFPSSDB06, title = {A scalable platform for safe and secure decentralized traffic management of multiagent mobile systems}, booktitle = {ACM Workshop on Real-World Wireless Sensor Networks}, year = {2006}, abstract = {

In this paper we describe the application of wireless sensor networking techniques to address the realization of a safe and secure decentralized traffic management system. We consider systems of many heterogeneous autonomous vehicles moving in a shared environment. Each vehicle is assumed to have different and possibly unspecified tasks, but they cooperate to avoid collisions. We are interested in designing a scalable architecture capable of accommodating a very large and dynamically changing number of vehicles, guaranteeing their safety (i.e., collision avoidance), the achievement of their goals, and security against potential adversaries. By properly distributing and revoking cryptographic keys we are able to protect communications from an external adversary as well as to detect non-cooperative, possibly malicious vehicles and trigger suitable countermeasures. In our architecture, scalability is obtained by decentralization, i.e. each vehicle is regarded as an autonomous agent capable of processing information concerning its own state and the state of only a fixed, small number of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}neighboring{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} agents. Ad-hoc wireless sensor networks are employed to provide support for this architecture.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Danesi and A. Fagiolini and I. Savino and L. Pallottino and R. Schiavi and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DSSBG06, title = {Security and Advanced Control Issues in a Robotic Platform for Monitoring and Relief}, booktitle = {Proc. of EWSN 2006 February 13-15, ETH Zurich}, year = {2006}, abstract = {

This paper provides an architectural overview and a first implementation of an heterogeneous agent network composed by mobile robots of di

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Danesi and I. M. Savino and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi and G. Dini} }