A Quadrupedal Robot Standing Still

This is a new-born quadruped robot made in UIUC, standing by its own. It's got 12 powerful motors with custom made planetary gearbox, which grants it the abilities to run and jump. The whole robot weighs around 11 lbs, approximately in the size of a small dog. It's looking forward to running out of the lab and meet everybody on campus.Ope

Optimization-based control and planning for highly dynamic legged locomotion in complex environments

Legged animals can dynamically traverse unstructured environments in an elegant and efficient manner, whether it be running down a steep hill or leaping between branches. To harness part of the animal agility to the legged robot would unlock potential applications such as disaster response and planetary exploration. The unique challenge of these tasks is that the robot has to produce highly dynamic maneuvers in complex environments with minimum human guidance. This thesis explores how an optimization-based method can be applied in the control and planning of highly dynamic legged motions to address the locomotion problem in complex environments. Specifically, this work first describes the design synthesis of a small and agile quadrupedal robot \panther. Based on the quadruped platform, we developed a model predictive control (MPC) control framework to realize complex 3D acrobatic motions without resorting to switching among controllers. We present the MPC formulation that directly uses the rotation matrix, which avoids the singularity issue associated with Euler angles. Motion planning algorithms are developed for planar-legged robot traversing challenging terrains. Dynamic trajectories that simultaneously reason about contact, centroidal dynamics, and joint torque limit are obtained by solving mixed-integer convex programs (MICP) without requiring any initial guess from the operator. We further reduce the computational expense of long-horizon planning by leveraging the benefits of both optimization and sampling-based approaches for a simple legged robot. Finally, we present experimental results for each topic on legged robot hardware to validate the proposed method. It is our hope that the results presented in this thesis will eventually enable legged robots to achieve mobility autonomy at the level of biological systems

Orientation-Aware Model Predictive Control with Footstep Adaptation for Dynamic Humanoid Walking

This paper proposes a novel orientation-aware model predictive control (MPC) for dynamic humanoid walking that can plan footstep locations online. Instead of a point-mass model, this work uses the augmented single rigid body model (aSRBM) to enable the MPC to leverage orientation dynamics and stepping strategy within a unified optimization framework. With the footstep location as part of the decision variables in the aSRBM, the MPC can reason about stepping within the kinematic constraints. A task-space controller (TSC) tracks the body pose and swing leg references output from the MPC, while exploiting the full-order dynamics of the humanoid. The proposed control framework is suitable for real-time applications since both MPC and TSC are formulated as quadratic programs. Simulation investigations show that the orientation-aware MPC-based framework is more robust against external torque disturbance compared to state-of-the-art controllers using the point mass model, especially when the torso undergoes large angular excursion. The same control framework can also enable the MIT Humanoid to overcome uneven terrains, such as traversing a wave field

Decentralized Finance (DeFi): A Survey

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is a new paradigm in the creation, distribution, and utilization of financial services via the integration of blockchain technology. Our research conducts a comprehensive introduction and meticulous classification of various DeFi applications. Beyond that, we thoroughly analyze these risks from both technical and economic perspectives, spanning multiple layers. Lastly, we point out research directions in DeFi, encompassing areas of technological advancements, innovative economics, and privacy optimization

Florist: (AR system)

The Florist (AR system) envisions a novel application of Augmented Reality (AR) in floral design, aimed at harmonizing traditional floristry with the digital age. While the full system is not yet realized, the conceptual design presents a compelling visual and interactive blueprint. It anticipates a platform that educates and assists users in crafting personalized floral arrangements through a rich database, AR tutorials, and customization features. This conceptual framework promises to address common barriers in flower arrangement by fostering an accessible, usercentered experience that could transform the floristry landscape

Design and Experimental Implementation of a Quasi-Direct-Drive Leg for Optimized Jumping

This paper introduces a novel method for actuator design that exploits electromagnetic motors’ torque and speed potential in jumping applications. We proposed a nonlinear optimization process that integrates (a) the control design to obtain the optimal ground reaction force, and (b) the mechanical design to narrow down the choices of motor/gearbox pair. Based on this method, actuators were designed and assembled into a leg prototype with two actuated degrees of freedom. Experiments demonstrated that the leg could achieve a maximum vertical jumping height of 0.62 m (2.4 times of leg length) and maximum forward jumping distance of 0.72 m (2.7 times of leg length).NAVER LABSOpe

Design and Experimental Implementation of a Quasi-Direct-Drive Leg for Optimized Jumping

This paper introduces a novel method for actuator design that exploits electromagnetic motors’ torque and speed potential in jumping applications. We proposed a nonlinear optimization process that integrates (a) the control design to obtain the optimal ground reaction force, and (b) the mechanical design to narrow down the choices of motor/gearbox pair. Based on this method, actuators were designed and assembled into a leg prototype with two actuated degrees of freedom. Experiments demonstrated that the leg could achieve a maximum vertical jumping height of 0.62 m (2.4 times of leg length) and maximum forward jumping distance of 0.72 m (2.7 times of leg length).NAVER LABSOpe

SPOP point mutations regulate substrate preference and affect its function

Abstract The adaptor SPOP recruits substrates to CUL3 E3 ligase for ubiquitination and degradation. Structurally, SPOP harbors a MATH domain for substrate recognition, and a BTB domain responsible for binding CUL3. Reported point mutations always occur in SPOP’s MATH domain and are through to disrupt affinities of SPOP to substrates, thereby leading to tumorigenesis. In this study, we identify the tumor suppressor IRF2BP2 as a novel substrate of SPOP. SPOP enables to attenuate IRF2BP2-inhibited cell proliferation and metastasis in HCC cells. However, overexpression of wild-type SPOP alone suppresses HCC cell proliferation and metastasis. In addition, a HCC-derived mutant, SPOP-M35L, shows an increased affinity to IRF2BP2 in comparison with wild-type SPOP. SPOP-M35L promotes HCC cell proliferation and metastasis, suggesting that M35L mutation possibly reprograms SPOP from a tumor suppressor to an oncoprotein. Taken together, this study uncovers mutations in SPOP’s MATH lead to distinct functional consequences in context-dependent manners, rather than simply disrupting its interactions with substrates, raising a noteworthy concern that we should be prudent to select SPOP as therapeutic target for cancers