Publications and Presentations

Publications:

• Learning Modular Robot Visual-motor Locomotion Policies
  J. Whitman and H. Choset

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2023

• Learning Modular Robot Locomotion from Demonstrations
  J. Whitman and H. Choset

Arxiv Preprint, September 2022

• Learning Modular Robot Control Policies 

J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Transactions on Robotics, June 2023

• Automating Automation with Modular Robot Synthesis
  Doctoral thesis, August 2022

• GLSO: Grammar-guided Latent Space Optimization for Sample-efficient Robot Design Automation

J. Hu, J. Whitman, and H. Choset

Conference on Robot Learning , December 2022

• A General Locomotion Control Framework for Multi-legged Locomotors
  B. Chong, Y. O. Aydin, J. M. Rieser, G. Sartoretti, T. Wang, J. Whitman, A. Kaba, E. Aydin, C. McFarland, K. D. Cruz, J. W. Rankin, K. B. Michel, A. Nicieza, J. R. Hutchinson, H. Choset and D. I. Goldman

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, June 2022

• Large-scale Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Coverage via Domain Decomposition and Generative Allocation
  J. Hu, H. Coffin, J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, June 2022

• Modular Robot Design Optimization with Generative Adversarial Networks

J. Hu, J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2022

• Reconstruction of Backbone Curves for Snake Robots

T. Wang, B. Lin, B. Chong, J. Whitman, M. Travers, D. Goldman, G. Blekherman, and H. Choset

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, February 2021

• Modular Mobile Robot Design Selection with Deep Reinforcement Learning

J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Machine Learning for Engineering Modeling, Simulation, and Design Workshop, at Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), December 2020

• The Omega Turn: A Biologically-Inspired Turning Strategy for Elongated Limbless Robots

T. Wang, B. Zhong, K. Diaz, J. Whitman, H. Lu, D. Goldman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, October 2020

• Directional Compliance in Obstacle-Aided Navigation for Snake Robots 

T. Wang, J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

American Control Conference, July 2020 

• Modular Robot Design Synthesis with Deep Reinforcement Learning

J. Whitman, R. Bhirangi, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Thirty-Fourth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, February 2020

• Task-specific Manipulator Design and Trajectory Synthesis

J. Whitman and H. Choset

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, December 2018

• Geometric Motion Planning for Systems with Toroidal and Cylindrical Shape Spaces 

C. Gong, J. Whitman, J. S. Grover, Z. Ren, B. Chong, and H. Choset

ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conference (DSCC), October 2018

• Snake Robot Urban Search After the 2017 Mexico City Earthquake

J. Whitman, N. Zevallos, M. Travers, and H. Choset

IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR), August 2018

• Shape-based Coordination in Locomotion Control 

M. Travers, J. Whitman, and H. Choset

The International Journal of Robotics Research, March 2018

• Generating Gaits for Simultaneous Locomotion and Manipulation

J. Whitman, S. Su, S. Coros, A. Ansari, and H. Choset

IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, September 2017

• Modular Platforms for Advanced Inspection, Locomotion, and Manipulation

A. Ansari, J. Whitman, B. Saund, and H. Choset

Waste Management Symposium, March 2017

• Shape-based Compliant Control with Variable Coordination Centralization on a Snake Robot 

J. Whitman, F. Ruscelli, M. Travers, and H. Choset

IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, December 2016

• Shape-Based Compliance in Locomotion 

M. Travers, J. Whitman, P. Schiebel, D. Goldman, and H. Choset

Proceedings of Robotics: Science and Systems, June 2016 

• Improving Energy Efficiency in Robot Limbs through Hydraulic Dangle

J. Whitman, M. Meller, and E. Garcia

SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, International Society for Optics and Photonics, March 2015

• Long-range Near-optimal Path Planning for Gliders in Complex High-energy Environments

D. A, Sofge and J. S. Whitman

IEEE Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), 2010.

Presentations:

• Learning Modular Robot Visual-motor Locomotion Policies
  Poster Presentation at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2023

• Automating Automation with Modular Robot Synthesis 

Thesis Defense at CMU, August 2022

• Generative Networks for Design and Control of Modular Systems

J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Oral presentation (virtual) at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems workshop "Modular and Reconfigurable Robot Mechatronics and Control," September 2021

• Learning Modular Robot Control Policies for Locomoting Systems

J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Oral presentation (virtual) at the American Controls Conference workshop "Fielding Legged Robotics off the Beaten Path," May 2021

• Modular Robot Design Selection with Deep Reinforcement Learning

Oral presentation at the CMU Locomotion seminar, February 2021

• Modular Mobile Robot Design Selection with Deep Reinforcement Learning

J. Whitman, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Poster presentation at the Machine Learning for Engineering Modeling, Simulation, and Design Workshop, at Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), December 2020

• Learning Control Policies for Modular Robot Locomotion

Oral presentation at the CMU Locomotion seminar, October 2020

• Modular Manipulator Design Synthesis

Oral presentation at the CMU Robotics Institute Manipulation seminar, February 2020

• Snake Robot Urban Search After the 2017 Mexico City Earthquake

J. Whitman, N. Zevallos, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Oral presentation at the IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR), August 2018

• Planning Quadrupedal Gaits in Granular Media with Geometric Mechanics

J. Whitman, B. Chong, Y. O. Aydin, C. Gong, J. M. Rieser, A. M. Hubbard, J. W. Rankin, K. Michel, G. Sartoretti, A. G. Nicieza, J. R. Hutchinson, D. I. Goldman, H. Choset

Poster presentation at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, September 2017.

• Generating Gaits for Simultaneous Locomotion and Manipulation

J. Whitman, S. Su, S. Coros, A. Ansari, and H. Choset

Oral presentation at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, September 2017.

• Shape-based Compliant Control with Variable Coordination Centralization on a Snake Robot 

J. Whitman, F. Ruscelli, M. Travers, and H. Choset

Oral presentation at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, December 2016

• A Dynamical Systems Approach to Obstacle Navigation for a Series-Elastic Hexapod Robot 

M. Travers, A. Ansari, and H. Choset

Oral presentation at the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, December 2016

(Presented in place of M. Travers)

• Geometric Mechanics: A Framework for Studying Animal Locomotion

C. Gong, H. Astley, J. Dai, B. Mclnroe, P. E. Schiebel, M. Travers, D. I. Goldman, and H. Choset

Oral presentation at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, January 2016

(Presented in place of  C. Gong)

• Improving Energy Efficiency in Robot Limbs through Hydraulic Dangle

J. Whitman, M. Meller, and E. Garcia

Poster presentation at the SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, International Society for Optics and Photonics, March 2015