DE Seminar: Bogdan Gavrea (Arizona State)

Title: Safe and Stable Robot Navigation Using Differential Complementarity Problems

Abstract: We address the stability and safety of robotic systems using Differential Complementarity Problems (DCPs). We propose two approaches that employ DCPs in this context. The first is based on the use of Control Lyapunov Functions (CLFs), which ensure stability, and Control Barrier Functions (CBFs), which guarantee safety. The second approach uses the concept of Virtual Rigid Obstacles (VROs), which naturally generate the complementarity constraints defining the underlying DCP. This VRO-based formulation is particularly well-suited for scenarios in which obstacles are not known a priori but are detected by the robot in real time.