Werner Neubauer

ICRA Conference 2017 Conference Paper

Optimal, sampling-based manipulation planning

• Philipp S. Schmitt
• Werner Neubauer
• Wendelin Feiten
• Kai M. Wurm
• Georg von Wichert
• Wolfram Burgard

When robots perform manipulation tasks, they need to determine their own movement, as well as how to grasp and release an object. Reasoning about the motion of the robot and the object simultaneously leads to a multi-modal planning problem in a high-dimensional configuration space. In this paper we propose an asymptotically optimal manipulation planner. Our approach extends optimal sampling-based roadmap planners to efficiently explore the configuration space of the robot and the object. We prove probabilistic completeness and global, asymptotic optimality. Extensive simulations of a typical pick-and-place scenario show that our approach significantly outperforms a (nonoptimal) state-of-the-art approach. We implemented our planner on a real manipulator and were able to compute high quality solutions in less than a second.

IROS Conference 1994 Conference Paper

A spider-like robot that climbs vertically in ducts or pipes

• Werner Neubauer

Different implementations of remote controlled robots with wheels or stepping mechanisms are in use that can inspect and repair the interior of a pipe or duct. However, autonomous locomotion in complex shaped hollows with corners, steps and branches remains a major challenge. This paper describes a robot with articulated legs that opens up the possibility of servicing complex pipe systems. To solve the pipe climbing task autonomously, the robot has a hierarchical control architecture with reflexive and reactive behaviour. Experiments were carried out in a 2D simulation as well as with an eight-legged robot test-bed. The experiments show the physical feasibility of such a robot, and that it is possible to achieve a robust, safe and powerful operation using reflexive and reactive behaviour. >

IROS Conference 1992 Conference Paper

Learning Systems Behavior For The Automatic Correction And Optimization Of Off-line Robot Programs

• Werner Neubauer
• M. Möller
• Siegfried Bocionek
• Wolfgang D. Rencken