@inproceedings{ffd46222e97b4fbabb1fcda7eb173b58,
title = "Optimal Control of a Soft CyberOctopus Arm",
abstract = "In this paper, we use the optimal control methodology to control a flexible, elastic Cosserat rod. An inspiration comes from stereotypical movement patterns in octopus arms, which are observed in a variety of manipulation tasks, such as reaching or fetching. To help uncover the mechanisms underlying these observed morphologies, we outline an optimal control-based framework. A single octopus arm is modeled as a Hamiltonian control system, where the continuum mechanics of the arm is modeled after the Cosserat rod theory, and internal, distributed muscle forces and couples are considered as controls. First order necessary optimality conditions are derived for an optimal control problem formulated for this infinite dimensional system. Solutions to this problem are obtained numerically by an iterative forward-backward algorithm. The state and adjoint equations are solved in a dynamic simulation environment, setting the stage for studying a broader class of optimal control problems. Trajectories that minimize control effort are demonstrated and qualitatively compared with experimentally observed behaviors.",
keywords = "Cosserat rod, Hamiltonian systems, maximum principle, octopus, optimal control, soft robotics",
author = "Tixian Wang and Udit Halder and Chang, {Heng Sheng} and Mattia Gazzola and Mehta, {Prashant G.}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 American Automatic Control Council.; 2021 American Control Conference, ACC 2021 ; Conference date: 25-05-2021 Through 28-05-2021",
year = "2021",
month = may,
day = "25",
doi = "10.23919/ACC50511.2021.9483284",
language = "English (US)",
series = "Proceedings of the American Control Conference",
publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",
pages = "4757--4764",
booktitle = "2021 American Control Conference, ACC 2021",
address = "United States",
}