Invited Talk Title: Leveraging Morphological Computation for Controlling Soft Robots
Abstract: Reliable control is still one of the main challenges in soft robotics. This is due to the material used to construct such machines. They often exhibit highly nonlinear and complex dynamics which are hard to model and therefore hard to control. As a result, even the rich toolbox of control theory is often unable to find appropriate solutions.
Morphological computation could be one possible way to overcome this challenge. Instead of trying to force the dynamics into predefined trajectories by overriding them forcefully, morphological computation proposes to embrace these seemly negative properties. Instead of working against the body dynamics, morphological computation looks for solutions where controller and morphology can work together. Moreover, complex dynamics are not seen as some inconvenience, but rather they are actively exploited as a powerful resource for control. We propose and discuss a number of possible ways to use morphological computation as a starting point to develop novel control approaches for soft robots.
Bio: Helmut Hauser is an Associate Professor in Robotics at the University of Bristol and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. His research is focused on morphological computation and embodiment, especially in the context of soft robotics. He is interested in understanding the underlaying principles of how complex physical properties of biological systems are exploited to facilitate learning and controlling tasks, and how these principles can be employed to design better robots. Helmut is the Director of the EPSRC Centre of Doctoral Training for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (FARSCOPE TU) with over 50 PhD students. He also leads the UK-RAS Strategic Task Group for Soft Robotics, which promotes Soft Robotics in the UK.