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Contact-implicit trajectory optimization using variational integrators

delete2019-05-23
delete28
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OA
AI
Z
Zachary Manchester *
N
Neel Doshi
R
Robert J. Wood
S
Scott Kuindersma
DOI:10.1177/0278364919849235delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Contact constraints arise naturally in many robot planning problems. In recent years, a variety of contact-implicit trajectory optimization algorithms have been developed that avoid the pitfalls of mode pre-specification by simultaneously optimizing state, input, and contact force trajectories. However, their reliance on first-order integrators leads to a linear tradeoff between optimization problem size and plan accuracy. To address this limitation, we propose a new family of trajectory optimization algorithms that leverage ideas from discrete variational mechanics to derive higher-order generalizations of the classic time-stepping method of Stewart and Trinkle. By using these dynamics formulations as constraints in direct trajectory optimization algorithms, it is possible to perform contact-implicit trajectory optimization with significantly higher accuracy. For concreteness, we derive a second-order method and evaluate it using several simulated rigid-body systems, including an underactuated biped and a quadruped. In addition, we use this second-order method to plan locomotion trajectories for a complex quadrupedal microrobot. The planned trajectories are evaluated on the physical platform and result in a number of performance improvements.
Keywords:
Contact
discrete mechanics
motion planning
trajectory optimization
microrobots
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Journal

International Journal of Robotics Research cover
International Journal of Robotics Research
IF:
5
Papers:
2.4K
Citations:
1.5W

Organization

H
Harvard University
Scholars:
26.5W
Papers: 22.0W
Citations: 28.7W