Robust control maintains stability and performance for a fixed amount of model uncertainty but can be conservative since the model is not updated online. Learning-based control, on the other hand, uses data to improve the model over time but is not typically guaranteed to be robust throughout the process. This paper proposes a novel combination of both ideas: a robust Min-Max Learning-Based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (MM-LB-NMPC) algorithm. Based on an existing LB-NMPC algorithm, we present an efficient and robust extension, altering the NMPC performance objective to optimize for the worst-case scenario. The algorithm uses a simple a priori vehicle model and a learned disturbance model. Disturbances are modelled as a Gaussian Process (GP) based on experience collected during previous trials as a function of system state, input, and other relevant variables. Nominal state sequences are predicted using an Unscented Transform and worst-case scenarios are defined as sequences bounding the 3σ confidence region. Localization for the controller is provided by an on-board, vision-based mapping and navigation system enabling operation in large-scale, GPS-denied environments. The paper presents experimental results from testing on a 50 kg skid-steered robot executing a path-tracking task. The results show reductions in maximum lateral and heading path-tracking errors by up to 30% and a clear transition from robust control when the model uncertainty is high to optimal control when model uncertainty is reduced.

Stereo Visual Teach & Repeat (VT&R) is a system for long-range, autonomous route following in unstructured 3D environments. As this system relies on a passive sensor to localize, it is highly susceptible to changes in lighting conditions. Recent work in the optics community has provided a method to transform images collected from a three-channel passive sensor into color-constant images that are resistant to changes in outdoor lighting conditions. This paper presents a lighting-resistant VT&R system that uses experimentally trained color-constant images to autonomously navigate difficult outdoor terrain despite changes in lighting. We show through an extensive field trial that our algorithm is capable of autonomously following a 1km outdoor route spanning sandy/rocky terrain, grassland, and wooded areas. Using a single visual map created at midday, the route was autonomously repeated 26 times over a period of four days, from sunrise to sunset with an autonomy rate (by distance) of over 99.9%. These experiments show that a simple image transformation can extend the operation of VT&R from a few hours to multiple days.

This paper presents a Learning-based Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (LB-NMPC) algorithm for an autonomous mobile robot to reduce path-tracking errors over repeated traverses along a reference path. The LB-NMPC algorithm uses a simple a priori vehicle model and a learned disturbance model. Disturbances are modelled as a Gaussian Process (GP) based on experience collected during previous traversals as a function of system state, input and other relevant variables. Modelling the disturbance as a GP enables interpolation and extrapolation of learned disturbances, a key feature of this algorithm. Localization for the controller is provided by an on-board, vision-based mapping and navigation system enabling operation in large-scale, GPS-denied environments. The paper presents experimental results including over 1.8 km of travel by a four-wheeled, 50 kg robot travelling through challenging terrain (including steep, uneven hills) and by a six-wheeled, 160 kg robot learning disturbances caused by unmodelled dynamics at speeds ranging from 0.35 m/s to 1.0 m/s. The speed is scheduled to balance trial time, path-tracking errors, and localization reliability based on previous experience. The results show that the system can start from a generic a priori vehicle model and subsequently learn to reduce vehicle- and trajectory-specific path-tracking errors based on experience.

This paper presents a path-repeating, mobile robot controller that combines a feedforward, proportional Iterative Learning Control (ILC) algorithm with a feedback-linearized path-tracking controller to reduce path-tracking errors over repeated traverses along a reference path. Localization for the controller is provided by an on-board, vision-based mapping and navigation system enabling operation in large-scale, GPS-denied, extreme environments. The paper presents experimental results including over 600 m of travel by a four-wheeled, 50 kg robot travelling through challenging terrain including steep hills and sandy turns and by a six-wheeled, 160 kg robot at gradually-increased speeds up to three times faster than the nominal, safe speed. In the absence of a global localization system, ILC is demonstrated to reduce path-tracking errors caused by unmodelled robot dynamics and terrain challenges.