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Evolving soft robotic locomotion in PhysX

Authors:

Barry TrimmerAuthors Info & Claims

GECCO '09: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference Companion on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference: Late Breaking Papers

Pages 2499 - 2504

https://doi.org/10.1145/1570256.1570351

Published: 08 July 2009 Publication History

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Abstract

Given the complexity of the problem, genetic algorithms are one of the more promising methods of discovering control schemes for soft robotics. Since physically embodied evolution is time consuming and expensive, an outstanding challenge lies in developing fast and suitably realistic simulations in which to evolve soft robot gaits. We describe two parallel methods of using NVidia's PhysX, a hardware-accelerated (GPGPU) physics engine, in order to evolve and optimize soft bodied gaits. The first method involves the evolution of open-loop gaits using a reduced-order lumped parameter model. The second method involves harnessing PhysX's soft-bodied material simulation capabilites. In each case we discuss the the challenges and possibilities involved in using the PhysX for evolutionary soft robotics.

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Cited By

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Zhang TLiu HWang WWang X(2024)Virtual Tools for Testing Autonomous Driving: A Survey and Benchmark of Simulators, Datasets, and CompetitionsElectronics10.3390/electronics1317348613:17(3486)Online publication date: 2-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13173486
Daly JCasper DFarooq MJames AKhan AMulgrew PTyebkhan DVo BRieffel J(2024)Robustness in Diversity: Quality-Diversity Driven Discovery of Agile Soft Robotic Gaits2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)10.1109/RoboSoft60065.2024.10521943(380-385)Online publication date: 14-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft60065.2024.10521943
Stroppa F(2024)Design optimizer for planar soft-growing robot manipulatorsEngineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence10.1016/j.engappai.2023.107693130(107693)Online publication date: Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2023.107693
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Index Terms

Evolving soft robotic locomotion in PhysX
1. Computer systems organization
  1. Embedded and cyber-physical systems
    1. Robotics
2. Computing methodologies
  1. Artificial intelligence
    1. Control methods
      1. Robotic planning
    2. Planning and scheduling
      1. Robotic planning

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Published In

GECCO '09: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference Companion on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference: Late Breaking Papers

July 2009

1760 pages

ISBN:9781605585055

DOI:10.1145/1570256

General Chair:
Franz Rothlauf
University of Mainz, Germany

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Association for Computing Machinery

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Published: 08 July 2009

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GECCO09: Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference

July 8 - 12, 2009

Québec, Montreal, Canada

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Overall Acceptance Rate 1,669 of 4,410 submissions, 38%

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Zhang TLiu HWang WWang X(2024)Virtual Tools for Testing Autonomous Driving: A Survey and Benchmark of Simulators, Datasets, and CompetitionsElectronics10.3390/electronics1317348613:17(3486)Online publication date: 2-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13173486
Daly JCasper DFarooq MJames AKhan AMulgrew PTyebkhan DVo BRieffel J(2024)Robustness in Diversity: Quality-Diversity Driven Discovery of Agile Soft Robotic Gaits2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)10.1109/RoboSoft60065.2024.10521943(380-385)Online publication date: 14-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft60065.2024.10521943
Stroppa F(2024)Design optimizer for planar soft-growing robot manipulatorsEngineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence10.1016/j.engappai.2023.107693130(107693)Online publication date: Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2023.107693
Legrand JTerryn SRoels EVanderborght B(2023)Reconfigurable, Multi-Material, Voxel-Based Soft RobotsIEEE Robotics and Automation Letters10.1109/LRA.2023.32368838:3(1255-1262)Online publication date: Mar-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2023.3236883
Hainsworth TSchmidt ISundaram VWhiting GKeplinger CMacCurdy R(2022)Simulating Electrohydraulic Soft Actuator Assemblies Via Reduced Order Modeling2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)10.1109/RoboSoft54090.2022.9762073(21-28)Online publication date: 4-Apr-2022
https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft54090.2022.9762073
Sui XZheng TQi JYang ZZhao NZhao JCai HZhu Y(2022)Task-oriented Hierarchical Control of Modular Soft Robots with External Vision GuidanceJournal of Bionic Engineering10.1007/s42235-022-00170-819:3(657-667)Online publication date: 16-Feb-2022
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-022-00170-8
Chang AFreeman CMahendran AVikas VVela P(2021)Shape-centric Modeling for Soft Robot Inchworm Locomotion2021 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)10.1109/IROS51168.2021.9636695(645-652)Online publication date: 27-Sep-2021
https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS51168.2021.9636695
Tawk CAlici G(2020)Finite Element Modeling in the Design Process of 3D Printed Pneumatic Soft Actuators and SensorsRobotics10.3390/robotics90300529:3(52)Online publication date: 7-Jul-2020
https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics9030052
Sui XCai HBie DZhang YZhao JZhu Y(2019)Automatic Generation of Locomotion Patterns for Soft Modular Reconfigurable RobotsApplied Sciences10.3390/app1001029410:1(294)Online publication date: 31-Dec-2019
https://doi.org/10.3390/app10010294
Corucci FCheney NGiorgio-Serchi FBongard JLaschi C(2018)Evolving Soft Locomotion in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments: Effects of Material Properties and Environmental TransitionsSoft Robotics10.1089/soro.2017.00555:4(475-495)Online publication date: 28-Aug-2018
https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2017.0055
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Evolving Soft Robots in Tight Spaces

Growing and Evolving Vibrationally Actuated Soft Robots

Six-legged crawling soft robot: NOBIYAKA

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