Autonomous Robot Hitting Task Using Dynamical System Approach

• Published in: 2013 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics pp. 4042 - 4047
• Main Authors: Oubbati, Farid, Richter, Mathis, Schoner, Gregor
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.10.2013
• Subjects: attractor dynamics; behavior sequences; Oscillators; Robot kinematics; Robot sensing systems; timed motor acts; Timing; Tracking; Trajectory
• ISSN: 1062-922X
• DOI: 10.1109/SMC.2013.690

We propose a model that autonomously generates and flexibly organizes sequences of timed actions. The timing of the movements is controlled by non-linear oscillators. Their activation and deactivation is organized by a hierarchical neural-dynamic architecture. We demonstrate the features of our model in an exemplary robotic task where the manipulator arm keeps hitting a ball up an inclined plane. The autonomous generation of movement sequences is tightly coupled to visual sensory information about the ball motion and able to adapt, on-line, to perturbations introduced in the ball trajectory. The performance of the proposed model is evaluated and the reactions to different perturbations are discussed.