| Type | Semester project |
| Split | 40% theory, 50% implementation, 10% experimentation |
| Knowledge | Robot control, model predictive control, constrained optimization, state estimation |
| Subjects | Robot Control, Optimization, Robotics (Nonprehensile Manipulation, Shared Autonomy) |
| Supervision | Kuanqi Cai |
| Published | 13.02.2026 |
Manipulation of liquid-filled containers is a challenging robotic control problem due to the complex coupling between robot motion and internal fluid dynamics. Even small accelerations or tilting motions can induce liquid sloshing, leading to instability or spillage. This problem becomes particularly difficult in teleoperation or shared-autonomy settings, where user commands must be respected while maintaining strict physical safety constraints.
Recent work [1] on SpillNot proposed a shared-autonomy framework for slosh-free teleoperation, combining:
- time-to-bound safety scaling for user velocity commands,
- a slosh-aware motion generator formulated as a constrained model predictive control (MPC) problem, and
- state estimation of liquid dynamics using a linearized pendulum model.
This framework demonstrates strong real-time performance and effective slosh suppression in single-cup transportation scenarios. However, the framework is limited to single-container transport, whereas real-world tray-based manipulation often involves multiple liquid containers with coupled safety requirements.
This project aims to reproduce the SpillNot framework using the available codebase, implement it in a simulation environment, and extend the original single-cup SpillNot constraints to support the safe transportation of multiple liquid containers.
Expectations
- Strong motivation to read and understand a technically dense robotics paper.
- Solid programming skills and ability to implement and debug optimization-based controllers.
- Clean, well-documented code and a clear technical report comparing control formulations.
Reference
[1] R. I. C. Muchacho, S. Bien, R. Laha, A. Naceri, L. F. C. Figueredo and S. Haddadin, “Shared Autonomy Control for Slosh-Free Teleoperation,” 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, USA, 2023, pp. 10676-10683, doi: 10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10342234.