On the Gauge Invariance of the Chern-Simons Action for N D-Branes

In this short note we provide a proof that the Chern-Simons part of the action for N D-branes is invariant under gauge transformations of the RR fields of the type C_p ->C_p + d\Lambda_{p-1}, and rewrite the action in a form that makes this symmetry manifest.Comment: 15 page

Intuitive Hand Teleoperation by Novice Operators Using a Continuous Teleoperation Subspace

Human-in-the-loop manipulation is useful in when autonomous grasping is not able to deal sufficiently well with corner cases or cannot operate fast enough. Using the teleoperator's hand as an input device can provide an intuitive control method but requires mapping between pose spaces which may not be similar. We propose a low-dimensional and continuous teleoperation subspace which can be used as an intermediary for mapping between different hand pose spaces. We present an algorithm to project between pose space and teleoperation subspace. We use a non-anthropomorphic robot to experimentally prove that it is possible for teleoperation subspaces to effectively and intuitively enable teleoperation. In experiments, novice users completed pick and place tasks significantly faster using teleoperation subspace mapping than they did using state of the art teleoperation methods.Comment: ICRA 2018, 7 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Obstacle Avoidance and Path Planning Using a Sparse Array of Sonars

This paper proposes an exploration method for robots equipped with a set of sonar sensors that does not allow for complete coverage of the robot's close surroundings. In such cases, there is a high risk of collision with possible undetected obstacles. The proposed method, adapted for use in urban outdoors environments, minimizes such risks while guiding the robot towards a predefined target location. During the process, a compact and accurate representation of the environment can be obtained