Trajectory Tracking Control Design for Large-Scale Linear Dynamical Systems With Applications to Soft Robotics

International audienceThis article presents new results to control process modeled through linear large-scale systems. Numerical methods are widely used to model physical systems, and the finite-element method is one of the most common methods. However, for this method to be precise, it requires a precise spatial mesh of the process. Large-scale dynamical systems arise from this spatial discretization. We propose a methodology to design an observer-based output feedback controller. First, a model reduction step is used to get a system of acceptable dimension. Based on this low-order system, two linear matrix inequality problems provide us, respectively, with the observer and controller gains. In both the cases, model and reduction errors are taken into account in the computations. This provides robustness with respect to the reduction step and guarantees the stability of the original large-scale system. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a physical setup-a soft robotics platform-to show its feasibility

LPV Framework for Non-Linear Dynamic Control of Soft Robots using Finite Element Model

International audienceThis work presents a methodology to control soft robots using a reduced order nonlinear finite element model. The Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) framework is used both to model the robot along a prescribed trajectory and to design its control law. Model reduction algorithms along with radial basis functions network are used to identify the nonlinear behavior of the robot. Finally, the method is validated through simulation experiments

Control Design for Soft Robots based on Reduced Order Model

International audienceInspired by nature, soft robots promise disruptive advances in robotics. Soft robots are naturally compliant and exhibit nonlinear behavior, which makes their study challenging. No unified framework exists to control these robots, especially when considering their dynamics. This work proposes a methodology to study this type of robots around a stable equilibrium point. It can make the robot converge faster and with reduced oscillations to a desired equilibrium state. Using computational mechanics, a large-scale dynamic model of the robot is obtained and model reduction algorithms enable the design of low order controller and observer. A real robot is used to demonstrate the interest of the results

Reduced Order Control of Soft Robots with Guaranteed Stability

International audienceThis work offers the ability to design a closed-loop strategy to control the dynamics of soft robots. A numericalmodel of a robot is obtained using the Finite Element Method,which leads to work with large-scale systems that are difficult tocontrol. The main contribution is a reduced order model-basedcontrol law, that consists in two main features: a reduced statefeedback tunes the performance while a Lyapunov functionguarantees the stability of the large-scale closed-loop systems.The method is generic and usable for any soft robot, as long asa FEM model is obtained. Simulation results show that we cancontrol and reduce the settling time of the soft robot and makeit converge faster without oscillations to a desired position

Dynamic Control of Soft Robots

International audienceSoft robots present several advantages. However, one of the main challenges of this new field of robotics is to control these robots. The methods used to control rigid robots are not directly relevant and new approaches have to be invented or updated to be applied to this kind of robots. This paper introduces control solutions for soft robots studies taking into account dynamics of the system

Dynamically Closed-Loop Controlled Soft Robotic Arm using a Reduced Order Finite Element Model with State Observer

International audienceThis paper presents a computationally efficient method to model and simulate soft robots. Finite element methods enable us to simulate and control soft robots, but require us to work with a large dimensional system. This limits their use in real-time simulation and makes those methods less suitable for control design tools. Using model order reduction, it is possible to create a reduced order system for building controllers and observers. Model reduction errors are taken into account in the design of the low-order feedback, and it is then applied to the large dimensional, unreduced model. The control architecture is based on a linearized model of the robot and enables the control of the robot around this equilibrium point. To show the performance of this control method, pose-to-pose and trajectory tracking experiments are conducted on a pneumatically actuated soft arm. The soft arm has 12 independent interior cavities that can be pressurized and cause the arm to move in three dimensions. The arm is made of a rubber material and is casted through a lost-wax fabrication technique

Complete exon sequencing of all known Usher syndrome genes greatly improves molecular diagnosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Usher syndrome (USH) combines sensorineural deafness with blindness. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive mode. Early diagnosis is critical for adapted educational and patient management choices, and for genetic counseling. To date, nine causative genes have been identified for the three clinical subtypes (USH1, USH2 and USH3). Current diagnostic strategies make use of a genotyping microarray that is based on the previously reported mutations. The purpose of this study was to design a more accurate molecular diagnosis tool.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We sequenced the 366 coding exons and flanking regions of the nine known USH genes, in 54 USH patients (27 USH1, 21 USH2 and 6 USH3).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Biallelic mutations were detected in 39 patients (72%) and monoallelic mutations in an additional 10 patients (18.5%). In addition to biallelic mutations in one of the USH genes, presumably pathogenic mutations in another USH gene were detected in seven patients (13%), and another patient carried monoallelic mutations in three different USH genes. Notably, none of the USH3 patients carried detectable mutations in the only known USH3 gene, whereas they all carried mutations in USH2 genes. Most importantly, the currently used microarray would have detected only 30 of the 81 different mutations that we found, of which 39 (48%) were novel.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on these results, complete exon sequencing of the currently known USH genes stands as a definite improvement for molecular diagnosis of this disease, which is of utmost importance in the perspective of gene therapy.</p

Reduced Order Control of Soft Robots with Guaranteed Stability

International audienceThis work offers the ability to design a closed-loop strategy to control the dynamics of soft robots. A numericalmodel of a robot is obtained using the Finite Element Method,which leads to work with large-scale systems that are difficult tocontrol. The main contribution is a reduced order model-basedcontrol law, that consists in two main features: a reduced statefeedback tunes the performance while a Lyapunov functionguarantees the stability of the large-scale closed-loop systems.The method is generic and usable for any soft robot, as long asa FEM model is obtained. Simulation results show that we cancontrol and reduce the settling time of the soft robot and makeit converge faster without oscillations to a desired position

LPV Framework for Non-Linear Dynamic Control of Soft Robots using Finite Element Model

International audienceThis work presents a methodology to control soft robots using a reduced order nonlinear finite element model. The Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) framework is used both to model the robot along a prescribed trajectory and to design its control law. Model reduction algorithms along with radial basis functions network are used to identify the nonlinear behavior of the robot. Finally, the method is validated through simulation experiments

Reduced Order Control of Soft Robots with Guaranteed Stability

International audienceThis work offers the ability to design a closed-loop strategy to control the dynamics of soft robots. A numericalmodel of a robot is obtained using the Finite Element Method,which leads to work with large-scale systems that are difficult tocontrol. The main contribution is a reduced order model-basedcontrol law, that consists in two main features: a reduced statefeedback tunes the performance while a Lyapunov functionguarantees the stability of the large-scale closed-loop systems.The method is generic and usable for any soft robot, as long asa FEM model is obtained. Simulation results show that we cancontrol and reduce the settling time of the soft robot and makeit converge faster without oscillations to a desired position