Learning-based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Articulated Soft Robots using Recurrent Neural Networks

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Schäfke, Hendrik, Habich, Tim-Lukas, Muhmann, Christian, Ehlers, Simon F. G., Seel, Thomas, Schappler, Moritz
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866917831627505664
author Schäfke, Hendrik
Habich, Tim-Lukas
Muhmann, Christian
Ehlers, Simon F. G.
Seel, Thomas
Schappler, Moritz
author_facet Schäfke, Hendrik
Habich, Tim-Lukas
Muhmann, Christian
Ehlers, Simon F. G.
Seel, Thomas
Schappler, Moritz
contents Soft robots pose difficulties in terms of control, requiring novel strategies to effectively manipulate their compliant structures. Model-based approaches face challenges due to the high dimensionality and nonlinearities such as hysteresis effects. In contrast, learning-based approaches provide nonlinear models of different soft robots based only on measured data. In this paper, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) predict the behavior of an articulated soft robot (ASR) with five degrees of freedom (DoF). RNNs based on gated recurrent units (GRUs) are compared to the more commonly used long short-term memory (LSTM) networks and show better accuracy. The recurrence enables the capture of hysteresis effects that are inherent in soft robots due to viscoelasticity or friction but cannot be captured by simple feedforward networks. The data-driven model is used within a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC), whereby the correct handling of the RNN's hidden states is focused. A training approach is presented that allows measured values to be utilized in each control cycle. This enables accurate predictions of short horizons based on sensor data, which is crucial for closed-loop NMPC. The proposed learning-based NMPC enables trajectory tracking with an average error of 1.2deg in experiments with the pneumatic five-DoF ASR.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_05616
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Learning-based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Articulated Soft Robots using Recurrent Neural Networks
Schäfke, Hendrik
Habich, Tim-Lukas
Muhmann, Christian
Ehlers, Simon F. G.
Seel, Thomas
Schappler, Moritz
Robotics
Soft robots pose difficulties in terms of control, requiring novel strategies to effectively manipulate their compliant structures. Model-based approaches face challenges due to the high dimensionality and nonlinearities such as hysteresis effects. In contrast, learning-based approaches provide nonlinear models of different soft robots based only on measured data. In this paper, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) predict the behavior of an articulated soft robot (ASR) with five degrees of freedom (DoF). RNNs based on gated recurrent units (GRUs) are compared to the more commonly used long short-term memory (LSTM) networks and show better accuracy. The recurrence enables the capture of hysteresis effects that are inherent in soft robots due to viscoelasticity or friction but cannot be captured by simple feedforward networks. The data-driven model is used within a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC), whereby the correct handling of the RNN's hidden states is focused. A training approach is presented that allows measured values to be utilized in each control cycle. This enables accurate predictions of short horizons based on sensor data, which is crucial for closed-loop NMPC. The proposed learning-based NMPC enables trajectory tracking with an average error of 1.2deg in experiments with the pneumatic five-DoF ASR.
title Learning-based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Articulated Soft Robots using Recurrent Neural Networks
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.05616