@article {3326, title = {Decentralized Trajectory Tracking Control for Soft Robots Interacting with the Environment}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO).}, volume = {Early Access}, year = {2018}, month = {06/2018}, abstract = {

Despite the classic nature of the problem, trajectory

tracking for soft robots, i.e. robots with compliant elements

deliberately introduced in their design, still presents several

challenges. One of these is to design controllers which can

obtain sufficiently high performance while preserving the physical

characteristics intrinsic to soft robots. Indeed, classic control

schemes using high gain feedback actions fundamentally alter the

natural compliance of soft robots effectively stiffening them, thus

de facto defeating their main design purpose. As an alternative

approach, we consider here to use a low-gain feedback, while

exploiting feedforward components. In order to cope with the

complexity and uncertainty of the dynamics, we adopt a decentralized,

iteratively learned feedforward action, combined with

a locally optimal feedback control. The relative authority of the

feedback and feedforward control actions adapts with the degree

of uncertainty of the learned component. The effectiveness of the

method is experimentally verified on several robotic structures

and working conditions, including unexpected interactions with

the environment, where preservation of softness is critical for

safety and robustness.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {F. Angelini and C. Della Santina and M. Garabini and M. Bianchi and G M Gasparri and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {3696, title = {DeepDynamicHand: A Deep Neural Architecture for Labeling Hand Manipulation Strategies in Video Sources Exploiting Temporal Information}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurorobotics}, year = {2018}, author = {A. Visar and C. Della Santina and D. Bacciu and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3106, title = {Design of an Under-Actuated Wrist Based on Adaptive Synergies}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation, ICRA2017}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Singapore, 29 May-3 June 2017}, abstract = {

An effective robotic wrist represents a key enabling element in robotic manipulation, especially in prosthetics. In this paper, we propose an under-actuated wrist system, which is also adaptable and allows to implement different under-actuation schemes. Our approach leverages upon the idea of soft synergies - in particular the design method of adaptive synergies - as it derives from the field of robot hand design. First we introduce the design principle and its implementation and function in a configurable test bench prototype, which can be used to demonstrate the feasibility of our idea. Furthermore, we report on results from preliminary experiments with humans, aiming to identify the most probable wrist pose during the pre-grasp phase in activities of daily living. Based on these outcomes, we calibrate our wrist prototype accordingly and demonstrate its effectiveness to accomplish grasping and manipulation tasks.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2017.7989789}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7989789/}, author = {S. Casini and V. Tincani and G. Averta and M. Poggiani and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3387, title = {Design of an under-actuated wrist based on adaptive synergies}, booktitle = {Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2017 IEEE International Conference on}, year = {2017}, pages = {6679{\textendash}6686}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, abstract = {

An effective robotic wrist represents a key en- abling element in robotic manipulation, especially in prosthetics. In this paper, we propose an under-actuated wrist system, which is also adaptable and allows to implement different under- actuation schemes. Our approach leverages upon the idea of soft synergies - in particular the design method of adaptive synergies - as it derives from the field of robot hand design. First we intro- duce the design principle and its implementation and function in a configurable test bench prototype, which can be used to demonstrate the feasibility of our idea. Furthermore, we report on results from preliminary experiments with humans, aiming to identify the most probable wrist pose during the pre-grasp phase in activities of daily living. Based on these outcomes, we calibrate our wrist prototype accordingly and demonstrate its effectiveness to accomplish grasping and manipulation tasks.

}, author = {S. Casini and V. Tincani and G. Averta and M. Poggiani and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @article {2339, title = {Design and Characterization of a Fabric-based Softness Display}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {8}, year = {2015}, note = {

This work is supported in part by the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands{\textquotedblright} (no. ERC-291166), and by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165) {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP){\textquotedblright}

}, pages = {152-163}, abstract = {

To enable a realistic tactile interaction with remote or virtual objects, softness information represents a fundamental property to be rendered via haptic devices. What is challenging is to reduce the complexity of such an information as it arises from contact mechanics and to find suitable simplifications that can lead an effective development of softness displays. A possible approach is to surrogate detailed tactile cues with information on the rate of spread of the contact area between the object and the finger as the contact force increases, i.e. force/area relation. This paradigm is called contact area spread rate. In this paper we discuss how such a paradigm has inspired the design of a tactile device (hereinafter referred to as Fabric Yielding Display, FYD-2), which exploits the elasticity of a fabric to mimic different levels of stiffness, while the contact area on the finger indenting the fabric is measured. In this manner, the FYD-2 can be controlled to reproduce force-area characteristics. In this work, we describe the FYD-2 architecture and report a psychophysical characterization. FYD-2 is shown to be able to accurately reproduce force-area curves of typical objects and to enable a reliable softness discrimination in human users.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2015.2404353}, author = {M. Bianchi and A. Serio} } @conference {2560, title = {Design and Realization of the CUFF - Clenching Upper-Limb Force Feedback Wearable Device for Distributed Mechano-Tactile Stimulation of Normal and Tangential Skin Forces}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS2015}, year = {2015}, note = {

The authors want to thank Cosimo della Santina, Andrea Di Basco, Riccardo Persichini and Fabio Bonomo for their really valuable support in the development of the hardware prototype. This work is supported in part by the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands{\textquotedblright} (no. ERC-291166), and by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165) {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP)

}, pages = {1186 - 1193}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hamburg, Germany, 28 Sept - 2 Oct 2015}, abstract = {

Rendering forces to the user is one of the main goals of haptic technology. While most force-feedback interfaces are robotic manipulators, attached to a fixed frame and designed to exert forces on the users while being moved, more recent haptic research introduced two novel important ideas. On one side, cutaneous stimulation aims at rendering haptic stimuli at the level of the skin, with a distributed, rather than, concentrated approach. On the other side, wearable haptics focuses on highly portable and mobile devices, which can be carried and worn by the user as the haptic equivalent of an mp3 player. This paper presents a light and simple wearable device (CUFF) for the distributed mechano-tactile stimulation of the user{\textquoteright}s arm skin with pressure and stretch cues, related to normal and tangential forces, respectively. The working principle and the mechanical and control implementation of the CUFF device are presented. Then, after a basic functional validation, a first application of the device is shown, where it is used to render the grasping force of a robotic hand (the Pisa/IIT SoftHand). Preliminary results show that the device is capable to deliver in a reliable manner grasping force information, thus eliciting a good softness discrimination in users and enhancing the overall grasping experience.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2015.7353520}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=7353520\&newsearch=true\&queryText=Design\%20and\%20Realization\%20of\%20the\%20CUFF\%20-\%20Clenching\%20Upper-Limb\%20Force\%20Feedback\%20Wearable\%20Device\%20for\%20Distributed\%20Mechano-Tactile\%20Stimulatio}, author = {S. Casini and M. Morvidoni and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2082, title = {Design and preliminary affective characterization of a novel fabric-based tactile display}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), 2014 IEEE}, year = {2014}, pages = { 591 - 596}, address = {Houston, TX}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2014.6775522}, author = {M. Bianchi and G. Valenza and A. Serio and A Lanata and L. Greco and M. Nardelli and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1941, title = {A data-driven kinematic model of the human hand with soft-tissue artifact compensation mechanism for grasp synergy analysis}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)}, year = {2013}, pages = {3738 - 3745}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6696890 }, author = {M Gabiccini and G. Stillfried and H. Marino and M. Bianchi} } @conference {1705, title = {A Device for Mimicking the Contact Force/Contact Area Relationship of Different Materials with Applications to Softness Rendering}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {4484 - 4490 }, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6697001 }, author = {A. Serio and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GDBO12, title = {Design and Control of an Air-Jet Lump Display}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium}, year = {2012}, month = {March 4 - 7}, pages = {45 - 49}, address = {Vancouver, Canada}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {J.C Gwilliam and A. Degirmenci and M. Bianchi and A.M. Okamura} }