BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Penn Engineering Events - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Penn Engineering Events
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Penn Engineering Events
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251107T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251107T114500
DTSTAMP:20260601T203007
CREATED:20250826T195551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250826T195551Z
UID:20931-1762511400-1762515900@seasevents.nmsdev7.com
SUMMARY:Fall 2025 GRASP on Robotics: Neville Hogan\, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, “Sensory-motor control in humans and robots”
DESCRIPTION:This event will be in-person ONLY in Wu and Chen Auditorium. \nABSTRACT\nDespite recent advances\, humans are still more agile and dexterous than robots; yet human communication (nerves) and actuation (muscles) are slower and our musculo-skeletal system is more complex. This presentation will consider features of neuro-mechanics that may confer advantage. However\, they also impose limitations. \nMuscle is highly ‘back-drivable’\, enabling our ease with (even preference for) ‘contact rich’ tasks. However\, muscle is not just a force-generator. Our endo-skeleton requires muscle stiffness for stability; moreover\, stiffness must increase at least in proportion to tension.\nConsequently\, human strength is not limited by force production but by stiffness production. Recent experiments confirm this. \nMeasuring stiffness (or its dynamic generalization\, mechanical impedance) requires access to three variables\, but only two are directly measurable: force and position. ‘Subtracting’ a model of limb mechanical impedance enabled estimating the neurally-defined reference trajectory (the third variable) underlying a simple ‘contact-rich’ task: turning a circular crank. It displayed a coincidence of curvature maxima and speed minima\, despite the strictly-constant curvature of the constrained hand path. This feature\, as well as an observed dependence on turning direction\, was reproduced by a model composing the neurally-defined reference trajectory from superimposed oscillations. \nComposing cyclic movements from ‘primitive’ oscillations simplifies control but implies a speed-curvature constraint that is widely reported; it significantly limits human performance. It also accounts for our remarkable inability to control force exerted on a moving robot. \nThe composability of motion is complemented by the composability of mechanical impedance. That enables a truly modular approach to robot programming. It simplifies transitions between free and constrained motion; manages redundancy without inverse kinematic computations; and enables operation into\, at\, and out of singular configurations—all features of human sensory-motor control that may benefit robots.
URL:https://seasevents.nmsdev7.com/event/fall-2025-grasp-on-robotics-neville-hogan-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-sensory-motor-control-in-humans-and-robots/
LOCATION:Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101)\, Levine Hall\, 3330 Walnut Street\, Philadelphia\, PA\, 19104\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="General Robotics%2C Automation%2C Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab":MAILTO:grasplab@seas.upenn.edu
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR