arXiv subjects

Italo Belli

Publications and source records attributed to Italo Belli.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Biomechanics-Aware Trajectory Optimization for Online Navigation during Robotic Physiotherapy

Robotic devices provide a great opportunity to assist in delivering physical therapy and rehabilitation movements, yet current robot-assisted methods struggle to incorporate biomechanical metrics essential for safe and effective therapy. We introduce BATON, a Biomechanics-Aware Trajectory Optimization approach to online robotic Navigation of human musculoskeletal loads for rotator cuff rehabilitation. BATON embeds a high-fidelity OpenSim model of the human shoulder into an optimal control framework, generating strain-minimizing trajectories for real-time control of therapeutic movements. \addedText{Its core strength lies in the ability to adapt biomechanics-informed trajectories online to unpredictable volitional human actions or reflexive reactions during physical human-robot interaction based on robot-sensed motion and forces. BATON's adaptability is enabled by a real-time, model-based estimator that infers changes in muscle activity via a rapid redundancy solver driven by robot pose and force/torque sensor data. We validated BATON through physical human-robot interaction experiments, assessing response speed, motion smoothness, and interaction forces.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2021

Optimization-Based Quadrupedal Hybrid Wheeled-Legged Locomotion

Hybrid wheeled-legged locomotion is a navigation paradigm only recently opened up by novel robotic designs,e.g. the centaur-type humanoid CENTAURO [1] or the quadruped ANYmal [2] in its configuration featuring non-steerable wheels. The term Hybrid Locomotion is hereafter used to indicate a particular type of locomotion, achieved with simultaneous and coordinate use of legs and wheels,see Fig. 1. Such choice stems at the intersection between legged locomotion and the simpler wheeled navigation, in order to get the best from both techniques: agility and ability to traverse uneven terrains from the first, speed and stability from the second. As a consequence, the problem of planning feasible trajectories for a hybrid robot shares many similarities with the legged locomotion problem: also in the hybrid case the motion of the base is reached through contact of the feet with the environment, taking into account that the wheeled feet can just push on the ground and not pull it. Forces compatible with friction cones have to be considered, while the contacts can slide just along the direction prescribed by the orientation of the wheels.

cs.RO↗