Research
Our research interests revolve around the classical definition of cybernetics: "the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine".
This interest has developed sucesively in time in three different areas: 1) the computational problem of robot motion planning, 2) the application of ambulatory real-time human motion capture and, 3) human-robot-collaboration in close proximity.
Robot motion planning
A fundamental robotics task is to plan collision-free motions for complex bodies from a start to a goal position among a collection of obstacles.
Ongoing topics:
Robot motion human-centered: the ambulatory measurement of human behavior in real-time opens different ways for designing new methods for harmonious human-centered robot motion, from gross motor movement to planning.
Last publications: J10
Human motion capture
In the HMiLab we have tracking technology, both optical based on photographic images and wearable based on miniature sensors.
Ongoing topics:
Ambulatory measurement of human motion: model-based design of wearable multisensor systems (optimized arrangements of sensors) let us to improve accuracy, robustness, fault-tolerance and auto-configuration properties.
Last publications: P27, J11, P26, P25, J09
HR collaboration in close proximity
Robots must be able to perceive human motion in order to interact, co-operate, or imitate in collaborative workspaces.
Ongoing topics:
Motion prediction and anticipation: prediction is a step forward from just motion measurement, which allow us to solve problems that demand a tight action coupling between humans and machines, e.g. working in robots close proximity.
Last publications: J12