arXiv subjects

Leonardo J. Colombo

Publications and source records attributed to Leonardo J. Colombo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Multi-Robot Bearing-based Pose Estimation via Angle Rigidity

This letter proposes a novel distributed pose estimator for multi-robot systems evolving on $\mathrm{SE}(3)$. The robots' positions are estimated in $\mathbb{R}^3$ using angles computed from body-frame bearings, without requiring orientation knowledge. The robots' orientations are then recovered in $\mathrm{SO}(3)$ from the estimated positions, together with bearing and bearing-rate measurements. The estimator accommodates directed sensing topologies and requires only infinitesimal angle rigidity (IAR), thereby relaxing the requirement, common in bearing-based approaches, that every robot acquire at least two bearings. Unlike existing angle-based schemes, the proposed method also estimates the robots' orientations. We prove local uniform exponential stability of the observer, assuming that a subset of robots executes persistently exciting motions. These theoretical results are corroborated through numerical simulations.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2026

Angle-based Localization and Rigidity Maintenance Control for Multi-Robot Networks

In this work, we study angle-based localization and rigidity maintenance control for multi-robot networks. First, we establish the relationship between angle rigidity and bearing rigidity considering \textit{directed} sensing graphs and \textit{body-frame} bearing measurements in both $2$ and $3$-\textit{dimensional space}. In particular, we demonstrate that a framework in $\mathrm{SE}(d)$ is infinitesimally bearing rigid if and only if it is infinitesimally angle rigid and each robot obtains at least $d-1$ bearing measurements ($d \in \{2, 3\}$). Building on these findings, this paper proposes a distributed angle-based localization scheme and establishes local exponential stability under switching sensing graphs, requiring only infinitesimal angle rigidity across the visited topologies. Then, since the set of available angles strongly depends on the robots' spatial configuration due to sensing constraints, we investigate rigidity maintenance control. The \textit{angle rigidity eigenvalue} is presented as a metric for the degree of rigidity. A decentralized gradient-based controller capable of executing mission-specific commands while maintaining a sufficient level of angle rigidity is proposed. Simulations were conducted to evaluate the scheme's effectiveness and practicality.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2025

Detection of Endangered Deer Species Using UAV Imagery: A Comparative Study Between Efficient Deep Learning Approaches

This study compares the performance of state-of-the-art neural networks including variants of the YOLOv11 and RT-DETR models for detecting marsh deer in UAV imagery, in scenarios where specimens occupy a very small portion of the image and are occluded by vegetation. We extend previous analysis adding precise segmentation masks for our datasets enabling a fine-grained training of a YOLO model with a segmentation head included. Experimental results show the effectiveness of incorporating the segmentation head achieving superior detection performance. This work contributes valuable insights for improving UAV-based wildlife monitoring and conservation strategies through scalable and accurate AI-driven detection systems.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2025

Learning-based decentralized control with collision avoidance for multi-agent systems

In this paper, we present a learning-based tracking controller based on Gaussian processes (GP) for collision avoidance of multi-agent systems where the agents evolve in the special Euclidean group in the space SE(3). In particular, we use GPs to estimate certain uncertainties that appear in the dynamics of the agents. The control algorithm is designed to learn and mitigate these uncertainties by using GPs as a learning-based model for the predictions. In particular, the presented approach guarantees that the tracking error remains bounded with high probability. We present some simulation results to show how the control algorithm is implemented.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2024

Nonholonomic mechanics and virtual constraints on Riemannian homogeneous spaces

Nonholonomic systems are, so to speak, mechanical systems with a prescribed restriction on the velocities. A virtual nonholonomic constraint is a controlled invariant distribution associated with an affine connection mechanical control system. A Riemannian homogeneous space is, a Riemannian manifold that looks the same everywhere, as you move through it by the action of a Lie group. These Riemannian manifolds are not necessarily Lie groups themselves, but nonetheless possess certain symmetries and invariances that allow for similar results to be obtained. In this work, we introduce the notion of virtual constraint on Riemannian homogeneous spaces in a geometric framework which is a generalization of the classical controlled invariant distribution setting and we show the existence and uniqueness of a control law preserving the invariant distribution. Moreover we characterize the closed-loop dynamics obtained using the unique control law in terms of an affine connection. We illustrate the theory with new examples of nonholonomic control systems inspired by robotics applications.

math.OC↗

arXiv2024

Variational Lifting and Optimal Gauges on Riemannian Homogeneous Spaces

Building on standard Euler-Poincar\'e reduction on Lie groups, we develop a variational lifting framework for mechanical systems on Riemannian homogeneous spaces $H=G/K$. A mechanical action on $H$ is lifted to $G$ through a functional whose kinetic energy depends only on the horizontal component of the velocity, and we prove that its critical points project precisely onto those of the original action. The lifted functional possesses a natural gauge invariance under $H^1$ curves with values in the isotropy subgroup $K$. Consequently, every lifted critical curve decomposes into a smooth horizontal representative and an arbitrary vertical gauge, and the associated Euler-Poincar\'e equations with symmetry breaking are obtained in reduced form. We then introduce a second variational problem that selects a distinguished lift by minimizing the vertical kinetic energy. The optimal gauge is a length-minimizing geodesic on $K$, yielding an explicit decomposition of the total energy into projected and vertical contributions and a geometric interpretation in terms of holonomy for closed projected curves. The framework is illustrated first for pure quantum states on $\mathbb{CP}^{n}\cong SU(n+1)/S(U(1)\times U(n))$, where the gauge freedom corresponds to the isotropy of unitary lifts, and then for $S^2\cong SO(3)/SO(2)$ through an optimal camera-orientation problem for an axisymmetric satellite subject to an undesirable pointing region.

math.OC↗

arXiv2023

On the integrability of hybrid Hamiltonian systems

A hybrid system is a system whose dynamics are controlled by a mixture of both continuous and discrete transitions. The integrability of Hamiltonian systems is often identified with complete integrability or Liouville integrability, that is, the existence of as many independent integrals of motion in involution as the dimension of the phase space. Under certain regularity conditions, Liouville-Arnold theorem states that the invariant geometric structure associated with Liouville integrability is a fibration by Lagrangian tori, on which motions are linear. In this paper, we study an extension of the Liouville-Arnold theorem for hybrid systems whose continuous dynamics is given by a Hamiltonian vector field and we state conditions on the impact map and the switching surface under which a hybrid Hamiltonian system is, in a certain sense, completely integrable.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

Nonholonomic reduction for mechanical systems with collisions

This paper studies nonsmooth variational problems on principal bundles for nonholonomic systems with collisions taking place in the boundary of the manifold configuration space of the nonholonopmic system. In particular, we first extended to a nonsmooth context appropriate for collisions the variational principle for nonholonomic implicit Lagrangian systems, to obtain implicit Lagrange--d'Alembert--Pontryagin equations for nonholonomic systems with collisions, and after introducing the notion of connection on a principal bundle we consider Lagrange--Poincar\'e--Pointryagin reduction by symmetries for systems with collisions.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

Reduction of Sufficient Conditions in Variational Obstacle Avoidance Problems

This paper studies sufficient conditions in a variational obstacle avoidance problem on complete Riemannian manifolds. That is, we minimize an action functional, among a set of admissible curves, which depends on an artificial potential function used to avoid obstacles. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions under which the resulting critical points, the so-called modified Riemannian cubics, are local minimizers. We then study the theory of reduction by symmetries of sufficient conditions for optimality in variational obstacle avoidance problems on Lie groups endowed with a left-invariant metric. This amounts to left-translating the Bi-Jacobi fields described to the Lie algebra, and studying the corresponding bi-conjugate points. New conditions are provided in terms of the invertibility of a certain matrix.

math.OC↗

arXiv2023

Reduction of Necessary Conditions for the Variational Collision Avoidance Problem

In this work, we study the reduction by a Lie group of symmetries of variational collision avoidance probelms of multiple agents evolving on a Riemannian manifold and derive necessary conditions for the reduced extremals. The problem consists of finding non-intersecting trajectories of a given number of agents, among a set of admissible curves, to reach a specified configuration, based on minimizing an energy functional that depends on the velocity, covariant acceleration and an artificial potential function used to prevent collision among the agents.

math.OC↗

arXiv2023

On the Geometry of Virtual Nonlinear Nonholonomic Constraints

Virtual constraints are relations imposed on a control system that become invariant via feedback control, as opposed to physical constraints acting on the system. Nonholonomic systems are mechanical systems with non-integrable constraints on the velocities. In this work, we introduce the notion of virtual nonlinear nonholonomic constraints in a geometric framework which is a controlled invariant submanifold and we show the existence and uniqueness of a control law preserving this submanifold. We illustrate the theory with various examples and present simulation results for an application.

math.OC↗

arXiv2022

Reduction by Symmetry in Obstacle Avoidance Problems on Riemannian Manifolds

This paper studies the reduction by symmetry of a variational obstacle avoidance problem. We derive the reduced necessary conditions in the case of Lie groups endowed with a left-invariant metric, and for its corresponding Riemannian homogeneous spaces by considering an alternative variational problem written in terms of a connection on the horizontal bundle of the Lie group. A number of special cases where the obstacle avoidance potential can be computed explicitly are studied in detail, and these ideas are applied to the obstacle avoidance task for a rigid body evolving on SO$(3)$ and for the unit sphere $S^2$.

math.OC↗

arXiv2022

Reduction in optimal control with broken symmetry for collision and obstacle avoidance of multi-agent system on Lie groups

We study the reduction by symmetry for optimality conditions in optimal control problems of left-invariant affine multi-agent control systems, with partial symmetry breaking cost functions for continuous-time and discrete-time systems. We recast the optimal control problem as a constrained variational problem with a partial symmetry breaking Lagrangian and obtain the reduced optimality conditions from a reduced variational principle via symmetry reduction techniques in both settings, continuous-time, and discrete-time. We apply the results to a collision and obstacle avoidance problem for multiple vehicles evolving on $SE(2)$ in the presence of a static obstacle.

math.OC↗

arXiv2022

Event-triggered Control of Port-Hamiltonian Systems under Time-delay Communication

We study the problem of periodic event-triggered control of interconnected port-Hamiltonian systems subject to time-varying delays in their communication. In particular, we design a threshold parameter for the event-triggering condition, a sampling period, and a maximum allowable delay such that interconnected port-Hamiltonian control systems with periodic event-triggering mechanism under a time-delayed communication are able to achieve asymptotically stable behaviour. Simulation results are presented to validate the theory.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2022

Virtual Nonholonomic Constraints: A Geometric Approach

Virtual constraints are invariant relations imposed on a control system via feedback as opposed to real physical constraints acting on the system. Nonholonomic systems are mechanical systems with non-integrable constraints on the velocities. In this work, we introduce the notion of virtual nonholonomic constraints in a geometric framework. More precisely, it is a controlled invariant distribution associated with an affine connection mechanical control system. We demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of a control law defining a virtual nonholonomic constraint and we characterize the trajectories of the closed-loop system as solutions of a mechanical system associated with an induced constrained connection. Moreover, we characterize the dynamics for nonholonomic systems in terms of virtual nonholonomic constraints, i.e., we characterize when can we obtain nonholonomic dynamics from virtual nonholonomic constraints.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2022

Contact Lagrangian systems subject to impulsive constraints

We describe geometrically contact Lagrangian systems under impulsive forces and constraints, as well as instantaneous nonholonomic constraints which are not uniform along the configuration space. In both situations, the vector field describing the dynamics of a contact Lagrangian system is determined by defining projectors to evaluate the constraints by using a Riemannian metric. In particular, we introduce the Herglotz equations for contact Lagrangian systems subject to instantaneous nonholonomic constraints. Moreover, we provide a Carnot-type theorem for contact Lagrangian systems subject to impulsive forces and constraints, which characterizes the changes of energy due to contact-type dissipation and impulsive forces. We illustrate the applicability of the method with practical examples, in particular, a rolling cylinder on a springily surface and a rolling sphere on a non-uniform surface, both with dissipation.

math-ph↗

arXiv2022

Learning-Based Fault-Tolerant Control for an Hexarotor with Model Uncertainty

In this paper we present a learning-based tracking controller based on Gaussian processes (GP) for a fault-tolerant hexarotor in a recovery maneuver. In particular, to estimate certain uncertainties that appear in a hexacopter vehicle with the ability to reconfigure its rotors to compensate for failures. The rotors reconfiguration introduces disturbances that make the dynamic model of the vehicle differ from the nominal model. The control algorithm is designed to learn and compensate the amount of modeling uncertainties after a failure in the control allocation reconfiguration by using GP as a learning-based model for the predictions. In particular the presented approach guarantees a probabilistic bounded tracking error with high probability. The performance of the learning-based fault-tolerant controller is evaluated through experimental tests with an hexarotor UAV.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2022

Hybrid Routhian reduction for simple hybrid forced Lagrangian systems

This paper discusses Routh reduction for simple hybrid forced mechanical systems. We give general conditions on whether it is possible to perform symmetry reduction for a simple hybrid Lagrangian system subject to non-conservative external forces, emphasizing the case of case of cyclic coordinates. We illustrate the applicability of the symmetry reduction procedure with an example and numerical simulations.

math.DS↗