This book covers the most attractive problem in robot control, dealing with the direct interaction between a robot and a dynamic environment, including the human-robot physical interaction. It provides comprehensive theoretical and experimental coverage of interaction control problems, starting from the mathematical modeling of robots interacting with complex dynamic environments, and proceeding to various concepts for interaction control design and implementation algorithms at different control layers. Focusing on the learning principle, it also shows the application of new and advanced learning algorithms for robotic contact tasks.The ultimate aim is to strike a good balance between the necessary theoretical framework and theoretical aspects of interactive robots.

This book covers the most attractive problem in robot control, dealing with the direct interaction between a robot and a dynamic environment, including the human-robot physical interaction. It provides comprehensive theoretical and experimental coverage of interaction control problems, starting from the mathematical modeling of robots interacting with complex dynamic environments, and proceeding to various concepts for interaction control design and implementation algorithms at different control layers. Focusing on the learning principle, it also shows the application of new and advanced learning algorithms for robotic contact tasks.

Robust Control of Robots bridges the gap between robust control theory and applications, with a special focus on robotic manipulators. It is divided into three parts: robust control of regular, fully-actuated robotic manipulators; robust post-failure control of robotic manipulators; and robust control of cooperative robotic manipulators. In each chapter the mathematical concepts are illustrated with experimental results obtained with a two-manipulator system. They are presented in enough detail to allow readers to implement the concepts in their own systems, or in Control Environment for Robots, a MATLAB®-based simulation program freely available from the authors. The target audience for Robust Control of Robots includes researchers, practicing engineers, and graduate students interested in implementing robust and fault tolerant control methodologies to robotic manipulators.

A comprehensive exploration of the control schemes of human-robot interactions In Human-Robot Interaction Control Using Reinforcement Learning, an expert team of authors delivers a concise overview of human-robot interaction control schemes and insightful presentations of novel, model-free and reinforcement learning controllers. The book begins with a brief introduction to state-of-the-art human-robot interaction control and reinforcement learning before moving on to describe the typical environment model. The authors also describe some of the most famous identification techniques for parameter estimation. Human-Robot Interaction Control Using Reinforcement Learning offers rigorous mathematical treatments and demonstrations that facilitate the understanding of control schemes and algorithms. It also describes stability and convergence analysis of human-robot interaction control and reinforcement learning based control. The authors also discuss advanced and cutting-edge topics, like inverse and velocity kinematics solutions, H2 neural control, and likely upcoming developments in the field of robotics. Readers will also enjoy: A thorough introduction to model-based human-robot interaction control Comprehensive explorations of model-free human-robot interaction control and human-in-the-loop control using Euler angles Practical discussions of reinforcement learning for robot position and force control, as well as continuous time reinforcement learning for robot force control In-depth examinations of robot control in worst-case uncertainty using reinforcement learning and the control of redundant robots using multi-agent reinforcement learning Perfect for senior undergraduate and graduate students, academic researchers, and industrial practitioners studying and working in the fields of robotics, learning control systems, neural networks, and computational intelligence, Human-Robot Interaction Control Using Reinforcement Learning is also an indispensable resource for students and professionals studying reinforcement learning.

Methods by which robots can learn control laws that enable real-time reactivity using dynamical systems; with applications and exercises. This book presents a wealth of machine learning techniques to make the control of robots more flexible and safe when interacting with humans. It introduces a set of control laws that enable reactivity using dynamical systems, a widely used method for solving motion-planning problems in robotics. These control approaches can replan in milliseconds to adapt to new environmental constraints and offer safe and compliant control of forces in contact. The techniques offer theoretical advantages, including convergence to a goal, non-penetration of obstacles, and passivity. The coverage of learning begins with low-level control parameters and progresses to higher-level competencies composed of combinations of skills. Learning for Adaptive and Reactive Robot Control is designed for graduate-level courses in robotics, with chapters that proceed from fundamentals to more advanced content. Techniques covered include learning from demonstration, optimization, and reinforcement learning, and using dynamical systems in learning control laws, trajectory planning, and methods for compliant and force control . Features for teaching in each chapter: applications, which range from arm manipulators to whole-body control of humanoid robots; pencil-and-paper and programming exercises; lecture videos, slides, and MATLAB code examples available on the author’s website . an eTextbook platform website offering protected material[EPS2] for instructors including solutions.

This self-contained introduction to practical robot kinematics and dynamics includes a comprehensive treatment of robot control. It provides background material on terminology and linear transformations, followed by coverage of kinematics and inverse kinematics, dynamics, manipulator control, robust control, force control, use of feedback in nonlinear systems, and adaptive control. Each topic is supported by examples of specific applications. Derivations and proofs are included in many cases. The book includes many worked examples, examples illustrating all aspects of the theory, and problems.

This book investigates a biologically inspired method of robot arm control, developed with the objective of synthesising human-like motion dynamically, using nonlinear, robust and adaptive control techniques in practical robot systems. The control method caters to a rising interest in humanoid robots and the need for appropriate control schemes to match these systems. Unlike the classic kinematic schemes used in industrial manipulators, the dynamic approaches proposed here promote human-like motion with better exploitation of the robot’s physical structure. This also benefits human-robot interaction. The control schemes proposed in this book are inspired by a wealth of human-motion literature that indicates the drivers of motion to be dynamic, model-based and optimal. Such considerations lend themselves nicely to achievement via nonlinear control techniques without the necessity for extensive and complex biological models. The operational-space method of robot control forms the basis of many of the techniques investigated in this book. The method includes attractive features such as the decoupling of motion into task and posture components. Various developments are made in each of these elements. Simple cost functions inspired by biomechanical “effort” and “discomfort” generate realistic posture motion. Sliding-mode techniques overcome robustness shortcomings for practical implementation. Arm compliance is achieved via a method of model-free adaptive control that also deals with actuator saturation via anti-windup compensation. A neural-network-centered learning-by-observation scheme generates new task motions, based on motion-capture data recorded from human volunteers. In other parts of the book, motion capture is used to test theories of human movement. All developed controllers are applied to the reaching motion of a humanoid robot arm and are demonstrated to be practically realisable. This book is designed to be of interest to those wishing to achieve dynamics-based human-like robot-arm motion in academic research, advanced study or certain industrial environments. The book provides motivations, extensive reviews, research results and detailed explanations. It is not only suited to practising control engineers, but also applicable for general roboticists who wish to develop control systems expertise in this area.