@proceedings {4106, title = {SIMULTANEOUS AND PROPORTIONAL DECODING OF STIFFNESS AND POSITION INTENTIONS FROM TWO SEMG CHANNELS FOR UL PROSTHETICS}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, abstract = {

To physically interact with a rich variety of environments and situation-oriented requirements, humans continuously adapt both the stiffness and the force of their limbs through antagonistic muscle coactivation. Reflecting this behaviour in prostheses may promote control naturalness and intuitiveness and, consequently, their acceptance in everyday life. We propose a method capable of a simultaneous and proportional decoding of position and stiffness intentions from two surface electro-myographic sensors placed over a pair of antagonistic muscles. First, the algorithm is validated and compared to existing control modalities. Then, the algorithm is implemented in a soft under-actuated prosthetic hand (SoftHand Pro). We investigated the feasibility of our approach in a preliminary study involving one prosthetic user. Our future goal is to evaluate the usability of the proposed approach executing a variety of tasks including physical social interaction with other subjects (see Figure 1). Our hypothesis is that variable stiffness could be a compromise between firm control and safe interaction.

}, url = {https://conferences.lib.unb.ca/index.php/mec/article/view/35}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi and G. Grioli} } @article {4292, title = {Softhandler: An integrated soft robotic system for handling heterogeneous objects}, journal = {IEEE Robotics \& Automation Magazine}, volume = {27}, year = {2020}, pages = {55{\textendash}72}, author = {Angelini, Franco and Petrocelli, Cristiano and Catalano, Manuel G and Garabini, Manolo and Grioli, Giorgio and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {3641, title = {A Spherical Active Joint for Humanoids and Humans}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {Volume: 4 , Issue: 2 , April 2019}, year = {2019}, month = {01/2019}, author = {S. Mghames and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi and G. Grioli} } @conference {3761, title = {Shared-autonomy control for intuitive bimanual tele-manipulation}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids)}, year = {2018}, pages = {1{\textendash}9}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, abstract = {

Existing dual-arm teleoperation systems function on one-to-one coupling of the human and robotic arms to fully exploit the user{\textquoteright}s dexterity during bimanual tele-manipulation. While the individual coordination of the robot end-effectors can be necessary for complex and asymmetric tasks, it may result in a cumbersome user experience during symmetric bimanual tasks (e.g. manipulating and carrying objects). In this paper we propose a novel framework that includes the one-to-one direct control and a new shared autonomy strategy. The user can autonomously choose between the two, and if the new one is selected the robots move in a coordinated way, in which desired positions are extrapolated from the movements and gestures of just one users arm. These gesture commands are interpreted and handled by the control, with the purpose of unloading the users cognitive burden. Lastly, the tele-impedance paradigm, i.e., the remote control of robot impedance and position references, is applied to both controls, to improve remote physical interaction performances. The paper reports on the overall proposed architecture, its implementation and its preliminary validation trough a multi subject experimental campaign.

}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2018.8625047}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8625047}, author = {Laghi, Marco and Maimeri, Michele and Marchand, Mathieu and Leparoux, Clara and Catalano, Manuel and Ajoudani, Arash and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {3697, title = {The SoftHand Pro: Functional evaluation of a novel, flexible, and robust myoelectric prosthesis}, journal = {PLOS One}, year = {2018}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and K. Zhao and A. Theuer and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and R. Breighner and D. Bhaskaran and R. Lennon and G. Grioli and M. Santello and A. Bicchi and K. Andrews} } @conference {3747, title = {The softpro project: Synergy-based open-source technologies for prosthetics and rehabilitation}, booktitle = {International Symposium on Wearable Robotics}, year = {2018}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01887-0_71}, author = {C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and E. Ricciardi and D. Pratichizzo and S. Haddadin and Luft, A. R. L. and O. Lambercy and R. Gassert and E. Jakubowitz and H. Van Der Kooij and F. Tonis and F. Bonomo and B. de Jonge and T. Ward and K. Zhao and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @article {3725, title = {SoftHand at the CYBATHLON: A user{\textquoteright}s experience}, journal = {JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1186/s12984-017-0334-y}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and M. Rossi and C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and K. Zhao and A. Bicchi} } @article {3258, title = {The SoftHand Pro-H: A Hybrid Body-Controlled, Electrically Powered Hand Prosthesis for Daily Living and Working }, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, year = {2017}, note = {

This work was supported by the European Commission project (Horizon 2020 research program) SOFTPRO 688857, the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands,{\textquotedblright} ERC-291166, and the Proof of Concept Project SoftHand Pro-H, ERC-2016-PoC 727536.\ 

}, month = {11/2017}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1070-9932}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2017.2751662}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=8110634}, author = {C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and S. B. Godfrey and M. Rossi and G. Grioli and M. Bianchi and K. Zhao and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3726, title = {Synergy-driven performance enhancement of vision-based 3D hand pose reconstruction}, booktitle = {Wireless mobile communication and healthcare : 6th International conference, MobiHealth 2016, Milan, Italy, November 14-16, 2016, Proceedings}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-58877-3_42}, author = {S. Ciotti and E. Battaglia and I. Oikonomidis and A. Makris and A. Tsoli and A. Bicchi and A. A. Agyros and M. Bianchi} } @inbook {3729, title = {Sensorymotor Synergies: Fusion of Cutaneous Touch and Proprioception in the Perceived Hand Kinematics}, booktitle = {SPRINGER SERIES ON TOUCH AND HAPTIC SYSTEMS}, volume = {Human and Robot Hands}, year = {2016}, url = {https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-26706-7}, author = {A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and A. Bicchi and M. Ernst} } @conference {3086, title = {Soft Robots that Mimic the Neuromusculoskeletal System}, booktitle = {3rd International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2016)}, volume = {Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, pages = {259-263}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {

In motor control studies, the question on which
parameters human beings and animals control through their
nervous system has been extensively explored and discussed,
and several hypotheses proposed. It is widely acknowledged
that useful inputs in this problem could be provided by
developing artificial replication of the neuromusculoskeletal
system, to experiment different motor control hypothesis. In
this paper we present such device, which reproduces many of
the characteristics of an agonistic-antagonistic muscular pair
acting on a joint.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = { 10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_45}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_45}, author = {M. Garabini and C. Della Santina and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {2865, title = {The SoftHand Pro: Translation from Robotic Hand to Prosthetic Prototype}, booktitle = {Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation II}, volume = {15}, number = {Biosystems \& Biorobotics }, year = {2016}, note = {

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2016), October 18-21, 2016, Segovia, Spain

}, pages = {469-473}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, abstract = {

This work presents the translation from a humanoid robotic hand to a prosthetic prototype and its first evaluation in a set of 9 persons with amputation. The Pisa/IIT SoftHand is an underactuated hand built on the neuroscientific principle of motor synergies enabling it to perform natural, human-like movements and mold around grasped objects with minimal control input. These features motivated the development of the SoftHand Pro, a prosthetic version of the SoftHand built to interface with a prosthetic socket. The results of the preliminary testing of the SoftHand Pro showed it to be a highly functional design with an intuitive control system. Present results warrant further testing to develop the SoftHand Pro.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {978-3-319-46668-2}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_78}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46669-9_78}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and M. Bianchi and K. Zhao and M. G. Catalano and R. Breighner and A. Theuer and K. Andrews and G. Grioli and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2725, title = {SoftHand Pro-D: Matching Dynamic Content of Natural User Commands with Hand Embodiment for Enhanced Prosthesis Control}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation (ICRA2016)}, year = {2016}, note = {

softpro soma softhands

}, pages = {3516 - 3523}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Stockholm, Sweden, May 16-21}, abstract = {

State of the art of hand prosthetics is divided between simple and reliable gripper-like systems and sophisticate hi-tech poly-articular hands which tend to be complex both in their design and for the patient to operate. In this paper, we introduce the idea of decoding different movement intentions of the patient using the dynamic frequency content of the control signals in a natural way. We move a step further showing how this idea can be embedded in the mechanics of an underactuated soft hand by using only passive damping components.

In particular we devise a method to design the hand hardware to obtain a given desired motion. This method, that we call of the dynamic synergies, builds on the theory of linear descriptor systems, and is based on the division of the hand movement in a slow and a fast components. We use this method to evolve the design of the Pisa/IIT SoftHand in a prototype prosthesis which, while still having 19 degrees of freedom and just one motor, can move along two different synergistic directions of motion (and combinations of the two), to perform either a pinch or a power grasp. Preliminary experimental results are presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed design

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2016.7487532}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7487532}, author = {C. Piazza and C. Della Santina and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and M. Garabini and A. Bicchi} } @article {2660, title = {A synergy-based hand control is encoded in human motor cortical areas}, journal = {eLIFE}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

How the human brain controls hand movements to carry out different tasks is still debated. The concept of\ synergy\ has been proposed to indicate functional modules that may simplify the control of hand postures by simultaneously recruiting sets of muscles and joints. However, whether and to what extent synergic hand postures are encoded as such at a cortical level remains unknown. Here, we combined kinematic, electromyography, and brain activity measures obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects performed a variety of movements towards virtual objects. Hand postural information, encoded through kinematic synergies, were represented in cortical areas devoted to hand motor control and successfully discriminated individual grasping movements, significantly outperforming alternative somatotopic or muscle-based models. Importantly, hand postural synergies were predicted by neural activation patterns within primary motor cortex. These findings support a novel cortical organization for hand movement control and open potential applications for brain-computer interfaces and neuroprostheses.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13420}, url = {http://elifesciences.org/content/5/e13420v2}, author = {A. Leo and G. Handjaras and M. Bianchi and H. Marino and M Gabiccini and Guidi, A. and E. P. Scilingo and P. Pietrini and A. Bicchi and M. Santello and E. Ricciardi} } @inbook {2887, title = {Synergy-Based Optimal Sensing Techniques for Hand Pose Reconstruction}, booktitle = {Human and Robot Hands}, volume = {Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems}, year = {2016}, pages = {259-283}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {

Most of the neuroscientific results on synergies and their technical implementations in robotic systems, which are widely discussed throughout this book (see e.g. Chaps.\ 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12 and 13), moved from the analysis of hand kinematics in free motion or during the interaction with the external environment. This observation motivates both the need for the development of suitable and manageable models for kinematic recordings, as described in Chap.\ 14, and the calling for accurate and economic systems or {\textquotedblleft}gloves{\textquotedblright} able to provide reliable hand pose reconstructions. However, this latter aspect, which represents a challenging point also for many human-machine applications, is hardly achievable in economically and ergonomically viable sensing gloves, which are often imprecise and limited. To overcome these limitations, in this chapter we propose to exploit the bi-directional relationship between neuroscience and robotic/artificial systems, showing how the findings achieved in one field can inspire and be used to advance the state of art in the other one, and vice versa. More specifically, our leading approach is to use the concept of kinematic synergies to optimally estimate the posture of a human hand using non-ideal sensing gloves. Our strategy is to collect and organize synergistic information and to fuse it with insufficient and inaccurate glove measurements in a consistent manner and with no extra costs. Furthermore, we will push forward such an analysis to the dual problem of how to design pose sensing devices, i.e.\ how and where to place sensors on a glove, to get maximum information about the actual hand posture, especially with a limited number of sensors. We will study the optimal design of gloves of different nature. Conclusions that can be drawn take inspiration from and might inspire further investigations on the biology of human hand receptors. Experimental evaluations of these techniques are reported and discussed.

}, isbn = {978-3-319-26705-0}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-26706-7_15}, author = {M. Bianchi and Salaris, P. and A. Bicchi} } @article {2867, title = {A Synergy-Based Optimally Designed Sensing Glove for Functional Grasp Recognition}, journal = {Sensors}, volume = {16}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

Achieving accurate and reliable kinematic hand pose reconstructions represents a challenging task. The main reason for this is the complexity of hand biomechanics, where several degrees of freedom are distributed along a continuous deformable structure. Wearable sensing can represent a viable solution to tackle this issue, since it enables a more natural kinematic monitoring. However, the intrinsic accuracy (as well as the number of sensing elements) of wearable hand pose reconstruction (HPR) systems can be severely limited by ergonomics and cost considerations. In this paper, we combined the theoretical foundations of the optimal design of HPR devices based on hand synergy information, i.e., the inter-joint covariation patterns, with textile goniometers based on knitted piezoresistive fabrics (KPF) technology, to develop, for the first time, an optimally-designed under-sensed glove for measuring hand kinematics. We used only five sensors optimally placed on the hand and completed hand pose reconstruction (described according to a kinematic model with 19 degrees of freedom) leveraging upon synergistic information. The reconstructions we obtained from five different subjects were used to implement an unsupervised method for the recognition of eight functional grasps, showing a high degree of accuracy and robustness.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, doi = {10.3390/s16060811}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/16/6/811}, author = {S. Ciotti and E. Battaglia and N. Carbonaro and A. Bicchi and A. Tognetti and M. Bianchi} } @conference {2338, title = {Sample-Based Motion Planning for Robot Manipulators with Closed Kinematic Chains}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands pacman walkman

}, pages = {2522 - 2527}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Seattle, USA, 25 - 30 May}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2015.7139537}, author = {M. Bonilla and E. Farnioli and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2561, title = {A Selective Recruitment Strategy for Exploiting Muscle-Like Actuator Impedance Properties}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS2015}, year = {2015}, pages = {2231-2237}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hamburg, Germany, 28 Sept - 2 Oct 2015}, abstract = {

Two leading qualities of skeletal muscle that produce good performance in uncertain environments are damage tolerance and the ability to modulate impedance. For this reason, robotics researchers are greatly interested in discovering the key characteristics of muscles that give them these properties and replicating them in actuators for robotic devices. This paper describes a method to harness the redundancy present in muscle-like actuation systems composed of multiple motor units and shows that they have these same two qualities. By carefully choosing which motor units are recruited, the impedance viewed from the environment can be modulated while maintaining the same overall activation level. The degree to which the impedance can be controlled varies with total activation level and actuator length.

Discretizing the actuation effort into multiple parts that work together, inspired by the way muscle fibers work in the human body, produces damage-tolerant behavior. This paper shows that this not only produces reasonably good resolutions without inordinate numbers of units, but gives the control system the ability to set the impedance along with the drive effort to the load.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2015.7353676}, author = {J. Shultz and G. Mathijssen and B. Vanderborght and A. Bicchi} } @article {1976, title = {Social Robotics and Societies of Robots}, journal = {The Information Society Special Issue: Beyond Industrial Robotics: Social Robots Entering Public and Domestic Spheres}, volume = {31}, year = {2015}, abstract = {

The sustainability of social robotics and other ambitious research programs

depends on the identification of lines of research that are coherent with its

visionary goals while satisfying more stringent constraints of feasibility and near-
term pay-offs. These multiple constraints are naturally conducive to the idea of a

society of robots operating within the physical environments of everyday human

life, developing there rich robot-robot social exchanges, and yet refraining from

any physical contact with human beings.

Achieving the visionary goals of social robotics or its more realistic objectives

requires extensive multidisciplinary cooperation. Accordingly, social robotics

may come to play a significant coordinating role for the constellation of research

communities in robotics. This coordinating role is exemplified here by reference

to a principled approach to robotic hand control based on sensory-motor soft

synergies: pursued in some current investigations on artificial hands, this

approach promises to meet distinctive needs arising in social robotics in the way

of dexterous manipulation of objects that are primarily conceived for human use.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and G. Tamburrini} } @conference {2543, title = {Soft Actuation in Cyclic Motions: Stiffness Profile Optimization for Energy Efficiency}, booktitle = {15th IEEE RAS Humanoids Conference (HUMANOIDS2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {

saphari walkman

}, pages = {107 - 113}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, abstract = {
In this paper, we investigate the role of variable stiffness in the reduction of the energy cost for mechanical systems that perform desired tasks. The objective is to assess the use of Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) by determining an optimal stiffness profile and the associated energy cost of performing a desired task. For the analysis we consider mechanical systems of n-Degrees of Freedom (DoF), using VSA. We find an analytical solution that expresses the optimal stiffness profile during the task as a function of joint trajectories. This stiffness profile can be either constant or variable in time, and it minimizes a cost function, when performing a desired task.
We calculate the cost related to the torque of the system and the additional cost of changing or keeping a stiffness actively constant. Additionally, we discuss some cases for which it is worth to change the stiffness during a task and cases for which a constant stiffness may be better solution. Furthermore, from simulations and experiments we show cases in which using a variable stiffness profile allows cost savings w.r.t. constant
stiffness. The use of variable stiffness depends on the task, i.e. on the joint trajectories and their frequency, as well as on the mechanical implementation of the actuator used.
}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2015.7363522}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7363522}, author = {A. Velasco and M. Garabini and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {2234, title = {Special Issue on the Mechanics and Design of Robotic Hands}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {Dollar, A. and A. Bicchi and M. Cutkosky and Howe, D.} } @article {1986, title = {A Stiffness Estimator for Agonistic{\textendash}Antagonistic Variable-Stiffness-Actuator Devices}, journal = { IEEE Transactions on Robotics}, volume = {30}, year = {2014}, pages = {1269 - 1278 }, abstract = {

Safe physical human-robot interaction, conservation of energy, and adaptability are the main robotic applications that prompted the development of a number of variable stiffness actuators (VSAs). Implemented in a variety of ways, they use various technologies and feature the most diverse mechanical solutions, all of which share a fundamentally unavoidable nonlinear behavior. The control schemes proposed for these actuators typically aim at independent control of the position of the link and its stiffness. Although effective feedback control schemes using position and force sensors are commonplace in robotics, control of stiffness is at present completely open loop: The stiffness is inferred from the mathematical model of the actuator. We consider here the problem of estimating the nonlinear stiffness of VSA in agonistic-antagonistic configuration. We propose an algorithm based on modulating functions that allow us to avoid the need for numerical derivative and for which the tuning is then very simple. An analysis of the error demonstrates the convergence. Simulations are provided, and the algorithm is validated on experimental data.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {1552-3098}, doi = {10.1109/TRO.2014.2329998}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6860244\&queryText\%3DA+stiffness+estimator+for+AA-VSA+devices}, author = {T. Menard and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1759, title = {Shortest paths for wheeled robots with limited Field-Of-View: introducing the vertical constraint}, booktitle = {IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2013}, pages = {5143 - 5149}, address = {Florence, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and A. Cristofaro and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1987, title = {Soft-Actuators in Cyclic Motion: Analytical Optimization of Stiffness and Pre-Load}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots}, year = {2013}, address = {Atlanta, Georgia, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Velasco and G M Gasparri and M. Garabini and L. Malagia and P Salaris and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1788, title = {A Strategy for Dynamic Controller Emulation in Packet-Based Networked Control}, booktitle = {International Conference on Informatics in Control (ICINCO {\textquoteright}13)}, year = {2013}, pages = {29-38}, address = {Reykjav{\'\i}k, Iceland}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.5220/0004427100290038}, author = {S. Falasca and M. Gamba and A. Bicchi} } @article {1230, title = {Synergy-Based Hand Pose Sensing: Optimal Glove Design}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {32}, year = {2013}, pages = {396-406}, abstract = {

In this paper we study the problem of improving human hand pose sensing device performance by exploiting the knowledge on how humans most frequently use their hands in grasping tasks. In a companion paper we studied the problem of maximizing the reconstruction accuracy of the hand pose from partial and noisy data provided by any given pose sensing device (a sensorized "glove") taking into account statistical a priori information. In this paper we consider the dual problem of how to design pose sensing devices, i.e. how and where to place sensors on a glove, to get maximum information about the actual hand posture. We study the continuous case, whereas individual sensing elements in the glove measure a linear combination of joint angles, the discrete case, whereas each measure corresponds to a single joint angle, and the most general hybrid case, whereas both continuous and discrete sensing elements are available. The objective is to provide, for given a priori information and fixed number of measurements, the optimal design minimizing in average the reconstruction error. Solutions relying on the geometrical synergy definition as well as gradient flow-based techniques are provided. Simulations of reconstruction performance show the effectiveness of the proposed optimal design.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364912474079}, author = {M. Bianchi and P Salaris and A. Bicchi} } @article {1231, title = {Synergy-based Hand Pose Sensing: Reconstruction Enhancement}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {32}, year = {2013}, pages = { 407-424}, abstract = {

Low-cost sensing gloves for reconstruction posture provide measurements which are limited under several regards. They are generated through an imperfectly known model, are subject to noise, and may be less than the number of Degrees of Freedom (DoFs) of the hand. Under these conditions, direct reconstruction of the hand posture is an ill-posed problem, and performance can be very poor. This paper examines the problem of estimating the posture of a human hand using(low-cost) sensing gloves, and how to improve their performance by exploiting the knowledge on how humans most frequently use their hands. To increase the accuracy of pose reconstruction without modifying the glove hardware - hence basically at no extra cost - we propose to collect, organize, and exploit information on the probabilistic distribution of human hand poses in common tasks. We discuss how a database of such an a priori information can be built, represented in a hierarchy of correlation patterns or postural synergies, and fused with glove data in a consistent way, so as to provide a good hand pose reconstruction in spite of insufficient and inaccurate sensing data. Simulations and experiments on a low-cost glove are reported which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364912474078}, author = {M. Bianchi and P Salaris and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1664, title = {A synergy-driven approach to a myoelectric hand}, booktitle = {13TH International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics}, year = {2013}, pages = {1 - 6}, address = {June 24-26, 2013, Seattle, WA.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, url = {10.1109/ICORR.2013.6650377 }, author = {S. B. Godfrey and A. Ajoudani and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1446, title = {SynGrasp: a MATLAB Toolbox for Grasp Analysis of Human and Robotic Hands}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2013)}, year = {2013}, pages = {1088 - 1093}, keywords = {Robotics}, url = {10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630708 }, author = {M. Malvezzi and G. Gioioso and G. Salvietti and D Prattichizzo and A. Bicchi} } @article {1236, title = {Shortest Paths for Finned, Winged, Legged and Wheeled Vehicles with Side-Looking Sensors}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {31}, year = {2012}, pages = {997-1017}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364912446005}, author = {P Salaris and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1240, title = {Synergy-based Optimal Desing of Hand Pose Sensing}, booktitle = {International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2012- JTCF Award}, year = {2012}, month = {October 7 - 12}, pages = {3929 - 3935 }, address = {Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {M. Bianchi and P Salaris and A. Bicchi} } @conference {RSGB12, title = {On the Synthesis of Feasible and Prehensile Robotic Grasps}, booktitle = {International Conference of Robotics and Automation - ICRA 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {May 14 - 18}, pages = {p. 550 - 556}, address = {Saint Paul, MN, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {C. Rosales and R. Suarez and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SPB11, title = {Shortest Paths With Side Sensor}, booktitle = {2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2011}, month = {May 9 - 13}, pages = {4875 - 4882}, address = {Shangai, China}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GFMB11, title = {Structural Properties of Compliant Grasps with Underactuated Robotic Hands}, booktitle = {XX Congresso Aimeta}, year = {2011}, note = {

ISBN 978-88-906340-1-7 (online); ISBN 978-88-906340-0-0 (print)

}, month = {September, 12}, address = {Bologna, Italy}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {M Gabiccini and E. Farnioli and M. Malvezzi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FMDBB10, title = {A Self-Routing Protocol for Distributed Consensus on Logical Information}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems}, year = {2010}, month = {October, 18 - 22}, pages = {5151 - 5156}, address = {Taipei, Taiwan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and D. Di Baccio and A. Bicchi} } @article {SPFB10, title = {Shortest Paths for a Robot with Nonholonomic and Field-of-View Constraints}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Robotics}, volume = {26}, number = {2}, year = {2010}, pages = {269 - 281}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FMDB-NESTER09, title = {Safety and Security in Networked Robotics Systems via Logical Consensus}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Networked embedded and control system technologies: European and Russian R\&D cooperation (NESTER{\textquoteright}09)}, year = {2009}, month = {July, 2 - 5}, address = {Milan, Italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and A. Fagiolini and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PBB-CDC09, title = {On the Security of Linear Consensus Networks}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, note = {

General Chairs Recognition Awards for Interactive Papers

}, month = {December, 16 - 1}, pages = {4894 - 4901}, address = {Shangai, China}, abstract = {

The task of performing trustworthy computation in a network of autonomous agents in the presence of misbehaving components is the subject of this work. A solution to this problem is relevant for several coordination, formation, and synchronization tasks. Relying only on the information flow of the control protocol, uncooperative behaviors are revealed using an unknown input observer technique. Necessary and sufficient conditions to detect and correctly identify misbehaving nodes are given, together with a study of the genericity of such conditions. It is shown that generically any node of the network can correctly estimate the state of the other agents, and therefore compute any function of the state, provided that the connectivity of the communication graph is strictly greater than the number of misbehaving nodes. An intrusion detection and identification algorithm is described, and its effectiveness is confirmed through a numerical study.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and A. Bicchi and F. Bullo} } @conference {FMB-CASE09, title = {Set-Valued Consensus for Distributed Clock Synchronization}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering}, year = {2009}, month = {August, 22-25}, pages = {116 - 121}, address = {Bangalore}, abstract = {

This paper addresses the clock synchronization problem in a wireless sensor network (WSN) and proposes a distributed solution that consists of a form of consensus, where agents are able to exchange data representing intervals or sets. The solution is based on a centralized algorithm for clock synchronization, proposed by Marzullo, that determines the smallest interval that is in common with the maximum number of measured interval. We first show how to convert such an algorithm into a problem involving only operations on sets, and then we convert it into a set

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB-CDC09, title = {Shortest Paths for Non-holonomic Vehicles with Limited Field of View Camera}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {December, 16 - 1}, pages = {8434 - 8439}, address = {Shangai, China}, abstract = {

This paper presents a complete characterization of shortest paths for unicycle-like nonholonomic mobile robots equipped with a pinhole camera rigidly fixed with limited Field-Of-View (FOV). We preliminarily provide an alphabet of optimal control words and then we demonstrate how to obtain the partition induced by shortest path in the vehicle plane. The word univocally associated to a region encodes the shortest path from any starting point in that region to the goal point of the mobile robot without violating the FOV constraints.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @article {HB08, title = {The Sense of Touch and its Rendering: Progresses in Haptics Research}, volume = {45/2008}, year = {2008}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

Preface: It is no coincidence that in many languages, deeply involving emotions and feelings are described as "touching". Touch appears indeed to be the most direct, less intellectually mediated sense. As such, it should be a fundamental ingredient of any system aimed at providing compelling sensations of remote presence. Generation of high-definition haptic feedback will be crucially important for driving a sense of Presence in next generation immersive VR and teleoperation systems. The perspective in which this book is conceived is that of understanding and enabling an experience of presence not limited to "being there", but extended to "being in touch" with the virtual or remote surroundings. Despite of numerous technological advances in this field it appears that the development of fully immersive haptic displays cannot proceed by technological innovations alone but requires a deep understanding and utilization of the psychophysical mechanisms of human haptic perception. On one hand, technological innovations are needed to increase the richness and accuracy of physically generated haptic stimuli. The generation of a one-to-one copy of the real world seems, however, to be unfeasible due to the inherent complexity of the necessary devices and stringent physiological and mechanical constraints. On the other hand, advances in the understanding of the information processing of the multidimensional sense of touch contribute to overcome these fundamental technological constraints. Limitations of the human perceptual system can be exploited to provide a realistic haptic sensation without getting all the physical parameters completely right. Perceptual limitations already helped in the design of advanced visual and auditory displays. This book summarizes main results of the TOUCH-HapSys research project financially supported by the 5th Framework IST Programme of the European Union. It provides an important contribution towards a new generation of high-fidelity haptic display technologies. The uniqueness of this book is its interdisciplinary approach highlighting the field of haptic research from a neuropsychological as well as a technological point of view. It provides readers with recent advances in the study of human haptic (kinesthetic, tactile, temperature) and mul-timodal (visual, auditory, haptic) perception mechanisms and with innovations in the field of haptic display technology. It shows that both lines of research are intimately connected, not only because biological sciences inspire and enable technology improvement, but also because novel devices offer new facilities for the experimental testing of psychophysical hypotheses. This book is structured in two parts: A. Fundamental Psychophysical and Neuropsychological Research and B. Technology and Applications. Chapters in part A. concentrate on the study of the basic mechanisms of touch, involving neurophysiology, psychophysics, and functional mappings in the brain. In-depth study of the psychophysiology of the sense of touch establishes connections between haptic fundamental perception and virtual-reality oriented technology. Part B. addresses new technologies to significantly improve haptic and multimodal feedback systems. These include novel actuator designs, software solutions for haptic rendering, and applications. The two parts are not however separated, and the many connections and synergies between the two complementary domains of research are highlighted in the text. Finally the editors would like to thank all the authors for their valuable contributions to this book. The quality and freshness found in each chapter are due to the excellent work carried out by the authors.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, editor = {A. Bicchi and M. Buss and M. Ernst and A. Peer} } @inbook {HB08-1, title = {The Sense of Touch and its Rendering: Progresses in Haptics Research}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {45/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {39 - 60}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, type = {Chapter}, chapter = {The Role of Tactile Flow in Processing Dynamic Haptic Stimuli}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

Dynamic stimuli in visual and tactile sensory modalities share fundamental psychophysical features that can be explained by similar computational models. In vision, information about relative motion between objects and the observer are mainly processed by optic flow, which is a 2D field of velocities associated with variation of brightness patterns in the image plane. It provides important information about cues for region and boundary segmentation, shape recovery, and so on. For instance, radial patterns of optic flow are often used to estimate time before contact with an approaching object. We put forward the hypothesis that a similar behavior can be present in the tactile domain, in which an analogous paradigm to optic flow might exist. Moreover, as optic flow is also invoked to explain several visual illusions, including the well-known "barber-pole" effect and Ouchi

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {E. P. Scilingo and N. Sgambelluri and A. Bicchi}, editor = {A. Bicchi and M. Buss and M. Ernst and A. Peer} } @inbook {HB08-2, title = {The Sense of Touch and its Rendering: Progresses in Haptics Research}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {45/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {155-178}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, type = {Chapter}, chapter = {Rheological Device}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

In this work we investigate the possibility of mimicking haptic perception by using rheological materials. An analysis of the rheological behaviour of some "smart fluids", such as Electro-rheological Fluids (ERFs) and Magneto-rheological Fluids (MRFs), is provided to design new haptic interfaces capable of reproducing shape and compliance of some virtual objects. Some theoretical design considerations are discussed and supported by magnetic simulations implemented by means of a numerical code. Several prototypes were designed and realized through a progressive enhancement of performance up to a final 3D immersive device. Furthermore, to assess performance a set of psychophysical tests was carried out and experimental results in terms of softness and shape recognition are reported.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and R. Rizzo and A. Bicchi}, editor = {A. Bicchi and M. Buss and M. Ernst and A. Peer} } @article {VHTRTZGCSSGPSBPDRL08, title = {Sensing Glove for Brain Studies: Design and assessment of its Compatibility for fMRI with a Robust Test}, journal = {IEEE - ASME Transactions on Mechatronics}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, pages = {345-354}, abstract = {

In this paper, we describe a biomimetic-fabric-based sensing glove that can be used tomonitor hand posture and gesture. Our device is made of a distributed sensor network of piezoresistive conductive elastomers integrated into an elastic fabric. This solution does not affect natural movement and hand gestures, and can be worn for a long time with no discomfort. The glove could be fruitfully employed in behavioral and functional studies with functional MRI (fMRI) during specific tactile or motor tasks. To assess MR compatibility of the system, a statistical test on phantoms is introduced. This test can also be used for testing the compatibility of mechatronic devices designed to produce different stimuli inside the MR environment. We propose a statistical test to evaluate changes in SNR and time-domain standard deviations between image sequences acquired under different experimental conditions. fMRI experiments on subjects wearing the glove are reported. The reproducibility of fMRIresults obtained with andwithout the glove was estimated. A good similarity between the activated regions was found in the two conditions.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {N. Vanello and V. Hartwig and M. Tesconi and E. Ricciardi and A. Tognetti and G. Zupone and R. Gassert and D. Chapuis and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and G. Giovannetti and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini} } @conference {PMB08, title = {Steering a Leader-Follower Team via Linear Consensus}, booktitle = {Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {4981/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {642-645}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, abstract = {

The paper considers the problem of driving a formation of autonomous mobile agents. The group of mobile devices is described as a leader{\textendash}follower network, where the followers update their position using a simple local consensus procedure, while the leaders, whose positions represent the control inputs of the network, are free to move. We characterize the transient behavior of the network, and solve the containment problem without relying on auxiliary sensors.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and S. Martini and A. Bicchi}, editor = {M. Egerstedt and B. Mishra} } @article {PB07-TAC, title = {On the Stabilization of Linear Systems Under Assigned I/O Quantization}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control}, volume = {52}, number = {10}, year = {2007}, pages = {1994-2000}, abstract = {

This paper is concerned with the stabilization of discrete-time linear systems with quantization of the input and output spaces, i.e., when available values of inputs and outputs are discrete. Unlike most of the existing literature, we assume that how the input and output spaces are quantized is a datum of the problem, rather than a degree of freedom in design. Our focus is hence on the existence and synthesis of symbolic feedback controllers, mapping output words into the input alphabet, to steer a quantized I/O system to within small invariant neighborhoods of the equilibrium starting from large attraction basins. We provide a detailed analysis of the practical stabilizability of systems in terms of the size of hypercubes bounding the initial conditions, the state transient and the steady state evolution. We also provide an explicit construction of a practically stabilizing controller for the quantized I/O case.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {B. Picasso and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GFBP-07, title = {Steering Dynamical Systems with Finite Plans and Limited Path Length}, booktitle = {European Control Conference}, year = {2007}, pages = {4686-4690}, abstract = {

Complex dynamical systems can be steered by using symbolic input plans. These plans must have a finite descriptive length, and can be expressed by means of words chosen in an alphabet of symbols. In this way, such plans can be sent through a limited capacity channel to a remote system, where they are decoded in suitable control actions. The choice of this symbols is essential to efficiently encode steering plans. To this aim, in this paper, we state the problem of finding symbols maximizing the interval of points reachable by the system along paths with constrained length. We focus on the problem with two symbols, and compare the results with those produced by plans not accounting for the length constraint. Moreover, the behavior of a simple helicopter, steered by both kinds of plans, has been simulated, in order to illustrate the power of the overall control system, and to emphasize the improvements introduced by the new plans.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi and B. Piccoli} } @article {BBEFKP06, title = {Symbolic Planning and Control of Robot Motion: Finding the Missing Pieces of Current Methods and Ideas}, journal = {Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, pages = {61-70}, abstract = {

Approaches to robot motion planning and control that involve tools such as automata, languages, temporal logics, and grammars, have been recently termed "symbolic." In this article, we review some existing results, discuss their relevance and applicability, and outline some of the main open questions and challenges in the area.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {C. Belta and A. Bicchi and M. Egerstedt and E. Frazzoli and E. Klavins and G. J. Pappas} } @conference {PHRI06, title = {Safe and Dependable Physical Human-Robot Interaction in Anthropic Domains: State of the Art and Challenges}, booktitle = {Proc. IROS{\textquoteright}06 Workshop on pHRI - Physical Human-Robot Interaction in Anthropic Domains}, year = {2006}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {R. Alami and A Albu-Schaeffer and A. Bicchi and R. Bischoff and R. Chatila and A. De Luca and De Santis, A and G. Giralt and J. Guiochet and G. Hirzinger and F. Ingrand and V. Lippiello and R. Mattone and D. Powell and S. Sen and B. Siciliano and G. Tonietti and L. Villani}, editor = {A. Bicchi and A. De Luca} } @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} } @conference {FGBPM06, title = {Symbolic Control for Underactuated Differentially Flat Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2006}, pages = {1649-1654}, abstract = {

In this paper we address the problem of generating input plans to steer complex dynamical systems in an obstacle-free environment. Plans considered admit a finite description length and are constructed by words on an alphabet of input symbols, which could be e.g. transmitted through a limited capacity channel to a remote system, where they can be decoded in suitable control actions. We show that, by suitable choice of the control encoding, finite plans can be efficiently built for a wide class of dynamical systems, computing arbitrarily close approximations of a desired equilibrium in polynomial time. Moreover, we illustrate by simulations the power of the proposed method, solving the steering problem for two examples in the class of underactuated systems, which have attracted wide attention in the recent literature.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Greco and A. Bicchi and B. Piccoli and A. Marigo} } @conference {ricciardi05:_supram_mt, title = {Supramodal response of human MT+ complex to visual and tactile perception of flow as demonstrated by fMRI studies in sighted and congenitally blind individuals}, booktitle = {11th annual meeting of the organization for Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {1}, year = {2005}, note = {

Toronto

}, pages = {129-129}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and L. Sani and C. Gentili and N. Vanello and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {BTS04, title = {Safe and Fast Actuators for Machines Interacting with Humans}, booktitle = {Proc. of the 1st Technical Exhibition Based Conference on Robotics and Automation, TExCRA2004, November 18-19, TEPIA, Tokyo, Japan -}, year = {2004}, pages = {(in press)}, abstract = {

This paper describes a new generation of actuators for robotic applications, and more generally for machines that are designed to interact with humans. Such actuators, called Variable Impedance Actuators, are designed to achieve fast motion control while guaranteeing safety of human operators in worst-case impact situation. The fundamental innovation is to implement safety by purely mechanical, passive means, to guarantee intrinsic safety, while active control is used to recover performance. The design concept, which is the subject of a patent application, has led to the experimental implementation of a Variable Stiffness Actuator. The effectiveness of the VSA has been recently validated theoretically and experimentally by authors.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and G. Tonietti and R. Schiavi} } @conference {PB04mi, title = {Some relations between ergodicity and minimality properties of invariant sets in quantized control systems}, booktitle = {Bifurcations in nonsmooth and hybrid dynamical systems: analysis, control and applications}, series = {S.I.C.C. (Societ\à Italiana Caos e Complessit\à)}, year = {2004}, note = {

poster presentation

}, month = {21-22 October}, address = {Milan}, abstract = {

Linear dynamical systems controlled by quantized inputs exhibit phenomena which are typically non-linear, including chaotic behaviours. We consider discrete-time single-input models of the type x(k+1)=Ax(k)+bu(k). The construction of invariant sets for this class of hybrid systems is of utmost importance for the stabilization problem. We first review a technique to construct invariant sets when an arbitrary quantized input set is assigned. We hence study minimality properties for invariant sets when inputs take integer values. There is a relation between a so-called strong minimality property and ergodicity of the closed-loop dynamics, in particular, ergodicity implies strong minimality. A condition ensuring strong minimality is given in terms of the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of the matrix {\textquoteright}A{\textquoteright}. Two examples are presented: the first one shows that strong minimality does not imply ergodicity. The second one shows that our condition for strong minimality is only sufficient: this is done by exhibition of an ergodic dynamics for which our condition is not satisfied.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {B. Picasso and A. Bicchi} } @conference {ZBSVB03, title = {Stabilization of a class of discrete-time hybrid automata}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2003}, pages = {1147-1152}, abstract = {

In this paper, the problem of stabilizing linear discrete time hybrid automata is considered. A synthesis methodology is obtained by extending to hybrid systems the stabilization techniques based on stable convex combinations, originally developed for switching systems. An algorithm to explore the candidate stabilizing controller actions is proposed and an application to an automotive engine control problem is described.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. Zoncu and A. Balluchi and A. Sangiovanni Vincentelli and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {PB03-HSCC, title = {Stabilization of LTI Systems with Quantized State-Quantized Input Static Feedback}, booktitle = {Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {LNCS 2623}, year = {2003}, pages = {405-416}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Heidelberg, Germany}, abstract = {

This paper is concerned with the stabilization problem for discrete-time linear systems subject to a uniform quantization of the control set and to a regular state quantization, both fixed a priori. As it is well known, for quantized systems only weak (practical) stability properties can be achieved. Therefore, we focus on the existence and construction of quantized controllers (mapping a quantized state into a quantized input set) capable of steering a system to within invariant neighbourhoods of the equilibrium. Such analysis is helpful because it allows to decide a priori whether adesired control objective can be achieved by using a \textit{given} technology (actuators, sensors, communication and computational means).

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {B. Picasso and A. Bicchi}, editor = {A. Pnueli and O. Maler} } @conference {PBP02, title = {Safety of a decentralized scheme for Free-Flight ATMS using Mixed Integer Linear Programming}, booktitle = {American Control Conference}, year = {2002}, month = {May}, pages = {742-747}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider policies for free-flight management of air traffic. We consider instantaneous and bounded heading angle deviation as conflict avoidance maneuvers. The corresponding model, resulting in a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem allow to solve both conflict detection and conflict resolution problems. The developed algorithm proved successful in a centralized implementation with a large number of cooperating aircraft. However, the application of such algorithm to a Free Flight environment, where cooperation can only be expected from neighboring aircraft, poses many challenges. We consider a model of the decentralized conflict resolution strategy that is based on a hybrid system, and sufficient conditions under which a 3-aircraft Free Flight MILP-based scheme guarantees safety of flight are provided.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi and S. Pancanti} } @inbook {PPSEB02, title = {Synthesis of robust control systems under resource constraints}, booktitle = {Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {LNCS 2289}, year = {2002}, pages = {337-350}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Heidelberg, Germany}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Palopoli and C. Pinello and A. L. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli and L. El-Ghaoui and A. Bicchi}, editor = {M. Greenstreet and C. Tomlin} } @conference {PPB00, title = {Shortest paths for teams of vehicles}, booktitle = {Proc. WAC Int. Symp. on Robotics and Applications}, year = {2000}, month = {June}, pages = {124-129}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of planning motions of a team of vehicles that move in a planar environment. Each vehicle is modelled as a kinematic system with velocity constraints and curvature bounds. Vehicles can not get closer to each other than a predefined safety distance. When manipulating a common object cooperatively, further constraints apply. For such systems, we consider the problem of planning optimal paths in the absence of obstacles.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and G. Parlangeli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BBPS00, title = {Stability and Robustness of Optimal Synthesis for Route Tracking by Dubins{\textquoteright} Vehicles}, booktitle = {Proc. 39th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, volume = {1}, year = {2000}, note = {

(invited paper)

}, month = {December}, pages = {581-6}, address = {Sydney, Australia}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {A. Balluchi and A. Bicchi and B. Piccoli and P. Sou{\`e}res} } @conference {MB98-CDC, title = {Steering Driftless Nonholonomic Systems by Control Quanta}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {1998}, pages = {4164-4169}, keywords = {Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems, Quantized Control Systems}, author = {A. Marigo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SDRBI97-EMB, title = {Sensors and devices to enhance the performance of a minimally invasive surgery tool for replicating surgeons{\textquoteright} haptic percetion of manipulated tissues}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Engineering in Medicine and Biology}, year = {1997}, address = {Chicago}, keywords = {Haptics, Sensors}, author = {E. P. Scilingo and D. De Rossi and A. Bicchi and P. Iaccone} } @inbook {BP97, title = {On some structural properties of general manipulation systems}, booktitle = {Modelling and Control of Mechanichal Systems}, year = {1997}, pages = {187-202}, publisher = {Imperial College Press}, organization = {Imperial College Press}, address = {London, U.K.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and D Prattichizzo}, editor = {A. Astolfi and D. J. N. Limebeer and C. Melchiorri and A. Tornamb\èe and R.B. Vinter} } @conference {BCDRIS96, title = { A sensor-based minimally invasive surgery tool for detecting tissue elastic properties }, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1996}, pages = {884-888}, keywords = {Haptics, Tools for Minimally Invasive Surgery}, author = {A. Bicchi and G. Canepa and D. De Rossi and P. Iacconi and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {PB96, title = {Specifying Consistent Control Goals for Kinematically Defective Manipulation Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1996}, keywords = {Robot Arms, Robot Hands}, author = {D Prattichizzo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BP95, title = {A Standard Form for the Dynamics of General Manipulation Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1995}, pages = {2810-2815}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Arms, Robot Hands}, author = {A. Bicchi and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {PBC93, title = {Statically Stable Legged Locomotion with Leg Redundancy}, booktitle = {Proc. IASTED Int. Conf. on Robotics and Manufacturing}, year = {1993}, publisher = {IASTED}, organization = {IASTED}, address = {Oxford, UK, september 23-25 1993}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, issn = {O-88986-179-X}, author = {D Prattichizzo and A. Bicchi and G. Casalino} } @conference {VBT90, title = {Sensorial Integration for a Robotic Dextrous Hand}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Symp. on Measurement and Control in Robotics}, year = {1990}, address = {Houston, Texas, USA}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Sensors}, author = {G. Vassura and A. Bicchi and A. Tonielli} } @conference {DBBB87, title = {A Shape Memory Alloy Actuating Module for Fine Manipulation}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Workshop on Microrobots and Teleoperators}, year = {1987}, address = {Hyannis, MA, USA}, keywords = {Robot Hands}, author = {P. Dario and M. Bergamasco and L. Bernardi and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {DBFBF86, title = {A Sensorized Scenario for Basic Investigation on Active Touch}, booktitle = {Robot Sensors: Tactile and Non-Vision}, series = {International Trends in Manufacturing Technology Series, vol. 2}, year = {1986}, pages = {237-245}, publisher = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, organization = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, address = {Kempston, Bedford, U. K.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {P. Dario and A. Bicchi and A. Fiorillo and G. Buttazzo and R. Francesconi}, editor = {Alan Pugh} } @article {3648, title = {Skin stretch haptic feedback to convey closure information in anthropomorphic, under-actuated upper limb soft prostheses}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics ( Early Access )}, author = {E. Battaglia and J. Clark and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi and M. K. O{\textquoteright}Malley} }