RAS – Advanced control of interaction: an energy based approach

Abstract

Monitoring and controlling the energy exchange between a robot and its environment is crucial for achieving a desired interaction. Using standard passivity based control, a stable interaction is achieved by forcing the robot to mimic a desired physical behavior. Unfortunately, due to technological issues or to the complexity of the task, such an embodiment becomes too restrictive. In this talk, using energy tanks and time domain passivity based control, I will show how it is possible to disembody a passive control of interaction and how this can lead to a more flexible and performing interaction.

Biography of Prof. Cristian Secchi 

Cristian Secchi graduated in Computer Engineering at the University of Bologna in 2000 and he received his PhD in Information Engineering in 2004 from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where he is currently Associate Professor. He has been visiting scholar at the Delft University of Technology (NL) and at the University of Twente (NL).

His main research interests lie in the field of telerobotics, human-robot physical interaction and multi-robot systems and he has published more than 200 papers on international journals and conferences. His PhD thesis on interaction control has been selected as one of the three finalists of the 5^th Georges Giralt  Award for the best PhD thesis on robotics in Europe. He participated to the CROW project, selected as one of the finalists for the 2010 EUROP/EURON Technology Transfer Award for the best Technology transfer project in Europe. He has been an Associate Editor for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (2005-2008) and for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2012-2017). He is Associate Editor of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.