Dynamic scene reconstruction for autonomous driving enables vehicles to perceive and interpret complex scene changes more precisely. Dynamic Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) have recently shown promising capability in scene modeling. However, many existing methods rely heavily on accurate poses inputs and multi-sensor data, leading to increased system complexity. To address this, we propose FreeDriveRF, which reconstructs dynamic driving scenes using only sequential RGB images without requiring poses inputs. We innovatively decouple dynamic and static parts at the early sampling level using semantic supervision, mitigating image blurring and artifacts. To overcome the challenges posed by object motion and occlusion in monocular camera, we introduce a warped ray-guided dynamic object rendering consistency loss, utilizing optical flow to better constrain the dynamic modeling process. Additionally, we incorporate estimated dynamic flow to constrain the pose optimization process, improving the stability and accuracy of unbounded scene reconstruction. Extensive experiments conducted on the KITTI and Waymo datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our method in dynamic scene modeling for autonomous driving. Our implementation will be available at https://github.com/IRMVLab/FreeDriveRF.

The existing methods of hyperspectral image (HSI) and multispectral image (MSI) fusion usually overlook the fact that multi-source images acquired under different imaging conditions are generally not perfectly registered. Despite the many such methods that have begun to address registration issues, it is still a challenge that most works perform registration and fusion as two separate steps, resulting in a cumulative error. To address this challenge, we propose a progressive registration-fusion co-optimization A-Mamba network (PRFCoAM), which iteratively optimizes the modal-aligned progressively registration-fusion (MAPRF) module to adaptively corrects the deformation from an extensive to a detailed level and refines the fusion results at each level to achieve progressive registration-fusion co-optimization. The proposed MAPRF module integrates the modal unified local aware registration (MULAR) block and interactive attention Mamba fusion (IAMF) block, which facilitates the network comprehensively and efficiently capture features of different levels. Specifically, MULAR adaptively learns spectral and spatial degradation functions to transform the input images into a unified modality and progressively repairs non-rigid pixel offsets by capturing the correlations and differences between corresponding regions of images. IAMF multi-directionally scans the spatial and spectral global dependent features of the well-registered images, which can stimulate the potential of Mamba in fusion and achieve a win-win situation of computational efficiency and selectivity advantages in the global acceptance domain. Extensive experiments demonstrate PRFCoAM can flexibly deal with different degrees and kinds of non-rigid deformation and achieves state-of-the-art performance. The code will be available at https://github.com/Jiahuiqu/PRFCoAM-for-HSI-MSI-Registration-Fusion.

Controlling the interaction forces between a human and an exoskeleton is crucial for providing transparency or adjusting assistance or resistance levels. However, it is an open problem to control the interaction forces of lower-limb exoskeletons designed for unrestricted overground walking. For these types of exoskeletons, it is challenging to implement force/torque sensors at every contact between the user and the exoskeleton for direct force measurement. Moreover, it is important to compensate for the exoskeleton's whole-body gravitational and dynamical forces, especially for heavy lower-limb exoskeletons. Previous works either simplified the dynamic model by treating the legs as independent double pendulums, or they did not close the loop with interaction force feedback. The proposed whole-exoskeleton closed-loop compensation (WECC) method calculates the interaction torques during the complete gait cycle by using whole-body dynamics and joint torque measurements on a hip-knee exoskeleton. Furthermore, it uses a constrained optimization scheme to track desired interaction torques in a closed loop while considering physical and safety constraints. We evaluated the haptic transparency and dynamic interaction torque tracking of WECC control on three subjects. We also compared the performance of WECC with a controller based on a simplified dynamic model and a passive version of the exoskeleton. The WECC controller results in a consistently low absolute interaction torque error during the whole gait cycle for both zero and nonzero desired interaction torques. In contrast, the simplified controller yields poor performance in tracking desired interaction torques during the stance phase

Despite significant advancements in deep learning-based algorithms for classifying hyperspectral image (HSI), this task remains challenging when only few labeled training examples are available. In this paper, we introduce a contrastive learning constraint and propose a semi-supervised HSI classification approach. We first build a multi-scale feature extraction module, which extracts fine-grained features from a small number of labeled samples together with a huge amount of unlabeled samples. Then, by modeling contrastive constraints on the unlabeled data, we construct a contrastive sub-network module, which can efficiently support the supervised HSI classification sub-network trained on the labeled dataset and hence enhance the generalization ability. Experimental results on two datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed semi-supervised HSI classification methods.

We are motivated by the real challenges presented in a human-robot system to develop new designs that are efficient at data level and with performance guarantees, such as stability and optimality at system level. Existing approximate/adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) results that consider system performance theoretically are not readily providing practically useful learning control algorithms for this problem, and reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms that address the issue of data efficiency usually do not have performance guarantees for the controlled system. This study fills these important voids by introducing innovative features to the policy iteration algorithm. We introduce flexible policy iteration (FPI), which can flexibly and organically integrate experience replay and supplemental values from prior experience into the RL controller. We show system-level performances, including convergence of the approximate value function, (sub)optimality of the solution, and stability of the system. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the FPI via realistic simulations of the human-robot system. It is noted that the problem we face in this study may be difficult to address by design methods based on classical control theory as it is nearly impossible to obtain a customized mathematical model of a human-robot system either online or offline. The results we have obtained also indicate the great potential of RL control to solving realistic and challenging problems with high-dimensional control inputs.

Personalizing medical devices such as lower limb wearable robots is challenging. While the initial feasibility of automating the process of knee prosthesis control parameter tuning has been demonstrated in a principled way, the next critical issue is to improve tuning efficiency and speed it up for the human user, in clinic settings, while maintaining human safety. We, therefore, propose a policy iteration with constraint embedded (PICE) method as an innovative solution to the problem under the framework of reinforcement learning. Central to PICE is the use of a projected Bellman equation with a constraint of assuring positive semidefiniteness of performance values during policy evaluation. Additionally, we developed both online and offline PICE implementations that provide additional flexibility for the designer to fully utilize measurement data, either from on-policy or off-policy, to further improve PICE tuning efficiency. Our human subject testing showed that the PICE provided effective policies with significantly reduced tuning time. For the first time, we also experimentally evaluated and demonstrated the robustness of the deployed policies by applying them to different tasks and users. Putting it together, our new way of problem solving has been effective as PICE has demonstrated its potential toward truly automating the process of control parameter tuning for robotic knee prosthesis users.

Robotic prostheses provide new opportunities to better restore lost functions than passive prostheses for trans-femoral amputees. But controlling a prosthesis device automatically for individual users in different task environments is an unsolved problem. Reinforcement learning (RL) is a naturally promising tool. For prosthesis control with a user in the loop, it is desirable that the controlled prosthesis can adapt to different task environments as quickly and smoothly as possible. However, most RL agents learn or relearn from scratch when the environment changes. To address this issue, we propose the knowledge-guided Q-learning (KG-QL) control method as a principled way for the problem. In this report, we collected and used data from two able-bodied (AB) subjects wearing a RL controlled robotic prosthetic limb walking on level ground. Our ultimate goal is to build an efficient RL controller with reduced time and data requirements and transfer knowledge from AB subjects to amputee subjects. Toward this goal, we demonstrate its feasibility by employing OpenSim, a well-established human locomotion simulator. Our results show the OpenSim simulated amputee subject improved control tuning performance over learning from scratch by utilizing knowledge transfer from AB subjects. Also in this paper, we will explore the possibility of information transfer from AB subjects to help tuning for the amputee subjects.

Robotic prostheses deliver greater function than passive prostheses, but we face the challenge of tuning a large number of control parameters in order to personalize the device for individual amputee users. This problem is not easily solved by traditional control designs or the latest robotic technology. Reinforcement learning (RL) is naturally appealing. The recent, unprecedented success of AlphaZero demonstrated RL as a feasible, large-scale problem solver. However, the prosthesis-tuning problem is associated with several unaddressed issues such as that it does not have a known and stable model, the continuous states and controls of the problem may result in a curse of dimensionality, and the human-prosthesis system is constantly subject to measurement noise, environmental change and human-body-caused variations. In this paper, we demonstrated the feasibility of direct heuristic dynamic programming, an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) approach, to automatically tune the 12 robotic knee prosthesis parameters to meet individual human users' needs. We tested the ADP-tuner on two subjects (one able-bodied subject and one amputee subject) walking at a fixed speed on a treadmill. The ADP-tuner learned to reach target gait kinematics in an average of 300 gait cycles or 10 min of walking. We observed improved ADP tuning performance when we transferred a previously learned ADP controller to a new learning session with the same subject. To the best of our knowledge, our approach to personalize robotic prostheses is the first implementation of online ADP learning control to a clinical problem involving human subjects.

This paper aims to develop an optimal controller that can automatically provide personalized control of robotic knee prosthesis in order to best support gait of individual prosthesis wearers. We introduced a new reinforcement learning (RL) controller for this purpose based on the promising ability of RL controllers to solve optimal control problems through interactions with the environment without requiring an explicit system model. However, collecting data from a human-prosthesis system is expensive and thus the design of a RL controller has to take into account data and time efficiency. We therefore propose an offline policy iteration based reinforcement learning approach. Our solution is built on the finite state machine (FSM) impedance control framework, which is the most used prosthesis control method in commercial and prototypic robotic prosthesis. Under such a framework, we designed an approximate policy iteration algorithm to devise impedance parameter update rules for 12 prosthesis control parameters in order to meet individual users' needs. The goal of the reinforcement learning-based control was to reproduce near-normal knee kinematics during gait. We tested the RL controller obtained from offline learning in real time experiment involving the same able-bodied human subject wearing a robotic lower limb prosthesis. Our results showed that the RL control resulted in good convergent behavior in kinematic states, and the offline learning control policy successfully adjusted the prosthesis control parameters to produce near-normal knee kinematics in 10 updates of the impedance control parameters.

Powered knee prostheses, compared to traditional energetically-passive knee prostheses, greatly enhance the mobility of transfemoral amputees. However, powered prostheses have a large number of control parameters that must be adjusted for individual amputee users, which presents a great challenge for clinical use. To address this challenge, we proposed and compared 2 automatic tuning strategies (i.e. parallel and sequential) using our newly developed optimal adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) tuner that objectively tuned the control parameters of an experimental powered knee prosthesis to mimic the knee profile of an able-bodied person (i.e. reference profile). With the parallel tuning strategy, we tuned all control parameters during the stance and the swing phases simultaneously. With the sequential tuning strategy, we alternately tuned stance or swing phase control parameters while fixing the remaining parameters. One able-bodied subject with a prosthesis adapter and one transfemoral amputee subject walked with the experimental powered knee prosthesis under both tuning strategies. Results show that with both tuning strategies, the ADP tuner successfully tuned the impedance parameters to match the prosthetic knee profile to the reference profile. Additionally, the parallel strategy outperformed the sequential strategy with better convergence to the reference profile. Interestingly, with the sequential tuning strategy, tuning during the swing phase greatly impacted the subsequent stance phase profile, but the impact was not as great when the order of tuning was switched. The ability to simultaneously adjust all control parameters with ADP using a parallel strategy may be a preferred solution for the current high-dimension control challenge, which may lead to more advanced, adaptive powered knee prostheses.

This brief presents a novel application of adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) for optimal adaptive control of powered lower limb prostheses, a type of wearable robots to assist the motor function of the limb amputees. Current control of these robotic devices typically relies on finite state impedance control (FS-IC), which lacks adaptability to the user's physical condition. As a result, joint impedance settings are often customized manually and heuristically in clinics, which greatly hinder the wide use of these advanced medical devices. This simulation study aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of ADP for automatic tuning of the twelve knee joint impedance parameters during a complete gait cycle to achieve balanced walking. Given that the accurate models of human walking dynamics are difficult to obtain, the model-free ADP control algorithms were considered. First, direct heuristic dynamic programming (dHDP) was applied to the control problem, and its performance was evaluated on OpenSim, an often-used dynamic walking simulator. For the comparison purposes, we selected another established ADP algorithm, the neural fitted Q with continuous action (NFQCA). In both cases, the ADP controllers learned to control the right knee joint and achieved balanced walking, but dHDP outperformed NFQCA in this application during a 200 gait cycle-based testing.

Bipartite graph matching has been investigated in multiple view matching for 3D object retrieval. However, existing methods employ one-to-one vertex matching scheme while more than two views may share close semantic meanings in practice. In this work, we propose a bipartite graph matching method to measure the distance between two objects based on multiple views. In the proposed method, representative views are first selected by using view clustering for each object, and the corresponding weights are given based on the cluster results. A bipartite graph is constructed by using the two groups of representative views from two compared objects. To calculate the similarity between two objects, the bipartite graph is first partitioned to several subsets, and the views in the same sub-set are with high possibility to be with similar semantic meanings. The distances between two objects within individual subsets are then assembled through the graph to obtain the final similarity. Experimental results and comparison with the state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.