Mixed-Integer Convex Formulations for Planning Nonlinear Dynamics in Complex Environments

Abstract

Humanoid robots walking across intermittent terrain, robotic arms grasping multifaceted objects, or UAVs darting left or right around a tree — many of the dynamics and control problems we face today have an inherently combinatorial structure. In this talk, I’ll review some recent work on planning and control methods that address this combinatorial structure without sacrificing the rich underlying nonlinear dynamics. I’ll present some details of our explorations with mixed-integer convex- and SDP-relaxations applied to hard problems in legged locomotion over rough terrain, grasp optimization, and UAVs flying through highly cluttered environments.