In this paper, as an approach to stabilize humanoid walking where the height of CoM varies, a Novel Model Predictive Control framework based on three dimensional Divergent Component of Motion (3D-DCM) is proposed. To ensure the feasible utilization of contact forces for maintaining humanoid balance, constraints on the control inputs, Virtual Repellent Point (VRP) and footstep adjustment, and their correlation are analytically formulated into a quadratic form, resulting a Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programming. Additionally, to enable the humanoid robot to withstand disturbances over a broader range of strides or safely navigates various terrains without encountering knee stretch, the distance between the CoM and the foot is constrained in the 3D-CoM trajectory planner. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through simulations and real-robot experiments in scenarios involving external disturbances and step down.

The robust balancing capability of humanoids is essential for mobility in real environments. Many studies focus on implementing human-inspired ankle, hip, and stepping strategies to achieve human-level balance. In this paper, a robust balance control framework for humanoids is proposed. Firstly, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework is proposed for Capture Point (CP) tracking control, enabling the integration of ankle, hip, and stepping strategies within a single framework. Additionally, a variable weighting method is introduced that adjusts the weighting parameters of the Centroidal Angular Momentum damping control. Secondly, a hierarchical structure of the MPC and a stepping controller was proposed, allowing for the step time optimization. The robust balancing performance of the proposed method is validated through simulations and real robot experiments. Furthermore, a superior balancing performance is demonstrated compared to a state-of-the-art Quadratic Programming-based CP controller that employs the ankle, hip, and stepping strategies.

Product line assets must be designed so that inclusion or exclusion of variable features causes little changes to components implementing other features. In order to achieve this goal, various relationships or dependencies that variable features have with other features must be analyzed thoroughly before designing product line assets. An object-oriented approach has been proposed to manage operational dependencies between features. However, it still suffers from code scattering and tangling problems. To address these problems, this paper introduces aspect-oriented implementation patterns which separate feature relations and dependencies from components implementing core functionality of features. Using these patterns, we can improve adaptability, scalability (modifiability in general), and configurability of product line assets. A simple calculator product line example is used to validate this approach.

Feature-oriented analysis (FOA) provides key information for developing reusable and adaptable product line assets. The information includes commonalities and variabilities, various dependencies between features, and their binding time information. On the other hand, aspect-oriented programming (AOP) provides effective mechanisms for encapsulating crosscutting concerns into separate entities, called aspects. By tightly coupling FOA with AOP, we can enhance reusability, adaptability, and configurability of product line assets. In this paper, we present detailed guidelines on how FOA and AOP can be combined. To validate our approach, we applied it to the engineering of an intelligent service robot product line.

A feature-oriented approach has been used extensively in product line engineering, as it provides an effective way of identifying variabilities among products. However, incorporating feature variations into product line assets is still a difficult undertaking, as effects of a feature variation may affect a large part of product line assets. In this position paper, I propose an approach of feature-oriented analysis and aspect-oriented component development, which can improve reusability and adaptability of product line assets as well as traceability from requirements to design.

Object-oriented technology is gaining popularity among software engineers with the goal of building reusable and adaptable software. Unfortunately, however, most methods introduced so far are not domain-oriented and do not address the issue of reuse directly. For these methods, software reuse is not the primary goal; it is only a by-product. The feature-oriented reuse method, FORM, is extended in this paper for improving the object-oriented engineering of applications for reuse. FORM concentrates on analyzing and modeling commonalities and differences in the applications of a given domain in terms of capability, operating environment, domain technology, and implementation technique features. These features are used to systematically derive objects that are tied to the features, and to develop reusable and adaptable domain architectures. We found that FORM facilitates analysis of variability (and commonality) of software before engineering and implementation start, and with this understanding, adaptability and reusability can be built into software. Feature modeling has been found to be an effective method for identifying and modeling reusable objects. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PBX (private branch exchange) systems are evolving rapidly due to fast expanding services, ever-changing communication technology, continuously evolving standards, and diverse communication laws and standards in different countries. As new features are added continuously, the detection of feature interaction problems early in the development lifecycle and the resolution of these problems through adaptable software are difficult challenges which all PBX software engineers face. A feature-oriented reuse method (FORM), introduced in this paper, concentrates on analyzing and modeling commonalities and differences in applications of a given domain in terms of features. The analysis results are then used for both the analysis of feature interactions and the engineering of domain-oriented software with a high level of adaptability (and reusability). We found that FORM facilitates the analysis of feature interactions and the variability (and commonality) of software before engineering and implementation begin. By understanding the variability, adaptability and reusability could be built into the software. The software architecture and modules are implemented based on information hiding and encapsulation principles and could easily accommodate new features that have not been considered in the initial feature analysis.

Incorporating a high level of adaptability and reusability into software is one challenge that all software engineers face. PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is one such system that requires a high level of adaptability and reusability because of rapidly expanding service features, ever changing communication technology, continuously evolving standards and diverse communication laws and standards in different countries. The software engineering community has made various efforts to address the problem of enhancing software adaptability and reusability. As a result, many programming concepts, such as information hiding, encapsulation, object orientation, abstract data type and modularization, have been developed. Although adequate application of these principles requires the domain or program family perspective, most methods, so far, have been oriented toward developing a single application. FORM (Feature-Oriented Reuse Method), the domain-based software reuse method applied in this paper, concentrates on analyzing and modeling commonalities and differences in applications of a given domain and using the analysis results to develop domain-oriented architectures and software components. The model that captures commonalities and differences is called the ‘feature model’ and it is used for both the engineering of reusable domain artifacts and the development of actual application software with reusable artifacts. We found that FORM facilitates analysis of variability, as well as commonality, of software before the start of engineering and implementation. With this understanding, adaptability and reusability can be built into software. Also, feature modeling has been found to be an effective method for identifying objects. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.