🚀 𝗜𝗝𝗥𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀! 🤖🪢

Thrilled to share our latest The International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR) work on enabling 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆‑𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 for 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲‑𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀 — using 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗠𝗨 and a powerful 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 simulation‑driven framework.

Soft robots are lightweight and flexible, but their high aspect ratios make them 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 sensitive to gravity, causing passive deformation that traditional kinematics just can’t handle. This motivated us to rethink how soft robots can 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘦 for gravity — without bulky sensors or complex hardware.

🧠✨ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱:

A 𝗯𝗶𝗼‑𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝟮𝘀𝗶𝗺𝟮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 that:

🔹 Streams real‑world IMU orientation into a real‑time and robust SOFA simulation

🔹 Dynamically reorients virtual gravity to mirror reality

🔹 Uses QP optimization to compute joint‑level compensation

🔹 Executes compensation in both simulation and the physical robot

All of this — using just 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗠𝗨. No strain sensors. No cameras. No expensive reconstruction systems.

🎯 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀:

✅ >99% compensation recovery in static tests

✅ ~94% recovery in low‑motion dynamic tests

✅ Demonstrated on different two-segment cable‑driven soft robots

💡 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:

This work shows that soft robots can maintain 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 by integrating 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻‑𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. It reduces reliance on physical sensors and opens a pathway toward 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆‑𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀.

🌱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?

We’re exploring how to extend this architecture to virtualizable external force sensing and richer environmental interactions.

Special shoutout to the team —

Jiewen Lai, Tian-Ao Ren (co‑first authors),

Pengfei YE, Yanjun Liu, Jingyao Sun, Hongliang Ren —

for making this project possible.

🔗 Paper link: https://lnkd.in/gMgwCfvf