Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Preprints

5. Alexander Luis Mitchell, Wolfgang Merkt, Aristotelis Papatheodorou, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ingmar Posner. Gaitor: Learning a Unified Representation Across Gaits for Real-World Quadruped Locomotion. Under Review
   [ arXiv]
6. Jacques Cloete, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Adaptive Manipulation using Behavior Trees. Under Review
   [ video] [ arXiv]
7. Thomas Corbères, Carlos Mastalli, Wolfgang Merkt, Ioannis Havoutis, Maurice Fallon, Nicolas Mansard, Thomas Flayols, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Steve Tonneau. Perceptive Locomotion through Whole-Body MPC and Optimal Region Selection. Under Review
   [ video] [ arXiv]
8. Majid Khonji*, Rashid Alyassi*, Wolfgang Merkt, Areg Karapetyan, Xin Huang, Sungkweon Hong, Jorge Dias, and Brian Williams. Multi-Agent Chance-Constrained Stochastic Shortest Path with Application to Risk-Aware Intelligent Intersection. Under Review
   [ arXiv]
9. Carlos Mastalli*, Wolfgang Merkt*, Guiyang Xin, Jaehyun Shim, Michael Mistry, Ioannis Havoutis, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Agile Maneuvers in Legged Robots: a Predictive Control Approach. Under Review
   [ video] [ arXiv]

2024

41. Aristotelis Papatheodorou, Wolfgang Merkt, Alexander L. Mitchell, and Ioannis Havoutis. Momentum-Aware Trajectory Optimisation using Full-Centroidal Dynamics and Implicit Inverse Kinematics. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2024.
    [ arXiv]
42. Luigi Campanaro, Siddhant Gangapurwala, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Learning and Deploying Robust Locomotion Policies with Minimal Dynamics Randomization. 6th Annual Learning for Dynamics & Control Conference (L4DC), 2024.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ arXiv]
43. Oiwi Parker Jones*, Alexander L. Mitchell*, Jun Yamada, Wolfgang Merkt, Mathieu Geisert, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ingmar Posner. Oscillating latent dynamics in robot systems during walking and reaching. Nature Scientific Reports, 2024.
    [ DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61610-5]
44. Kim Tien Ly, Valeriy Semenov, Mattia Risiglione, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. R-LGP: A Reachability-guided Logic-geometric Programming Framework for Optimal Task and Motion Planning on Mobile Manipulators. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2024.
    [ video] [ arXiv]
45. Carlo Tiseo*, Wolfgang Merkt*, Wouter Wolfslag, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Michael Mistry. Safe and compliant control of redundant robots using superimposition of passive task-space controllers. Nonlinear Dynamics, 2024.
    [ pdf] [ DOI: 10.1007/s11071-023-09045-x] [ arXiv]

2023

36. Henrique Ferrolho, Vladimir Ivan, Wolfgang Merkt, Ioannis Havoutis, and Sethu Vijayakumar. RoLoMa: Robust Loco-Manipulation for Quadruped Robots with Arms. Autonomous Robots, 2023.
    [ video] [ DOI: 10.1007/s10514-023-10146-0] [ arXiv]
37. Kim Tien Ly, Matthew Munks, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Asymptotically Optimized Multi-Surface Coverage Path Planning for Loco-Manipulation in Inspection and Monitoring. Proc. IEEE 19th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE), 2023.
    [ pdf] [ DOI: 10.1109/CASE56687.2023.10260625]
38. Alexander L. Mitchell, Oiwi Parker Jones, Jun Yamada, Wolfgang Merkt, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ingmar Posner. From Primates to Robots: Emerging Oscillatory Latent-Space Dynamics for Sensorimotor Control. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, 2023.
    [ pdf]
39. Mark Nicholas Finean*, Luka Petrović*, Wolfgang Merkt, Ivan Marković, and Ioannis Havoutis. Motion Planning in Dynamic Environments Using Context-Aware Human Trajectory Prediction. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2023.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2023.104450] [ arXiv]
40. Alexander Luis Mitchell, Wolfgang Merkt, Mathieu Geisert, Siddhant Gangapurwala, Martin Engelcke, Oiwi Parker Jones, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ingmar Posner. VAE-Loco: Versatile Quadruped Locomotion by Learning a Disentangled Gait Representation. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2023.
    [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/TRO.2023.3297015] [ arXiv]
41. Luigi Campanaro, Daniele De Martini, Siddhant Gangapurwala, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Roll-Drop: accounting for observation noise with a single parameter. 5th Annual Learning for Dynamics & Control Conference (L4DC), 2023.
    [ pdf] [ arXiv]

2022

30. Carlos Mastalli, Wolfgang Merkt, Josep Marti-Saumell, Henrique Ferrolho, Joan Sola, Nicolas Mansard, and Sethu Vijayakumar. A Feasibility-Driven Approach to Control-Limited DDP. Autonomous Robots, 2022.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1007/s10514-022-10061-w] [ arXiv]
31. Alexander Luis Mitchell, Wolfgang Merkt, Mathieu Geisert, Siddhant Gangapurwala, Martin Engelcke, Oiwi Parker Jones, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ingmar Posner. Next Steps: Learning a Disentangled Gait Representation for Versatile Quadruped Locomotion. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2022.
    [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/ICRA46639.2022.9811584] [ arXiv]
32. Mark Nicholas Finean, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Where Should I Look? Optimised Gaze Control for Whole-Body Collision Avoidance in Dynamic Environments. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2022.
    [ presentation] [ DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2021.3137545] [ arXiv]

2021

27. Carlo Tiseo, Wolfgang Merkt, Keyhan Kouhkiloui Babarahmati, Wouter Wolfslag, Ioannis Havoutis, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Michael Mistry. HapFIC: An Adaptive Force/Position Controller for Safe Environment Interaction in Articulated Systems. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/TNSRE.2021.3098062] [ arXiv]
28. Mark Nicholas Finean, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Simultaneous Scene Reconstruction and Whole-Body Motion Planning for Safe Operation in Dynamic Environments. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS51168.2021.9636860] [ arXiv]
29. Paarth Shah*, Avadesh Meduri*, Wolfgang Merkt, Majid Khadiv, Ioannis Havoutis, and Ludovic Righetti. Rapid Convex Optimization of Centroidal Dynamics using Block Coordinate Descent. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS51168.2021.9635856] [ arXiv]
30. Luigi Campanaro, Siddhant Gangapurwala, Daniele De Martini, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. CPG-Actor: Reinforcement Learning for Central Pattern Generators. Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems Conference (TAROS), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-89177-0_3] [ arXiv]
31. Henrique Ferrolho, Wolfgang Merkt, Carlo Tiseo, Sethu Vijayakumar. Residual Force Polytope: Admissible Task-Space Forces of Dynamic Trajectories. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2021.
    [ pdf] [ DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2021.103814] [ arXiv]
32. Wolfgang Merkt*, Vladimir Ivan*, Traiko Dinev, Ioannis Havoutis, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Memory Clustering using Persistent Homology for Multimodality- and Discontinuity-Sensitive Learning of Optimal Control Warm-starts. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1109/TRO.2021.3069132] [ arXiv]
33. Traiko Dinev*, Wolfgang Merkt*, Vladimir Ivan, Ioannis Havoutis, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Sparsity-Inducing Optimal Control via Differential Dynamic Programming. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9560961] [ arXiv]
34. Henrique Ferrolho, Vladimir Ivan, Wolfgang Merkt, Ioannis Havoutis, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Inverse Dynamics vs. Forward Dynamics in Direct Transcription Formulations for Trajectory Optimization. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561306] [ arXiv]
35. Carlo Tiseo, Vladimir Ivan, Wolfgang Merkt, Ioannis Havoutis, Michael Mistry, and Sethu Vijayakumar. A Passive Navigation Planning Algorithm for Collision-free Control of Mobile Robots. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561377] [ arXiv]
36. Mark Nicholas Finean, Wolfgang Merkt, and Ioannis Havoutis. Predicted Composite Signed-Distance Fields for Real-Time Motion Planning in Dynamic Environments. International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS), 2021.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ arXiv]

2020

17. Henrique Ferrolho, Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, Wouter Wolfslag, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Optimizing Dynamic Trajectories for Robustness to Disturbances using Polytopic Projections. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2020.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ presentation] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9341788] [ arXiv]
18. Traiko Dinev, Songyan Xin, Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Modeling and Control of a Hybrid Wheeled Jumping Robot. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2020.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ presentation] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9341339] [ arXiv]
19. Carlo Tiseo, Wolfgang Merkt, Keyhan Kouhkiloui Babarahmati, Wouter Wolfslag, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Michael Mistry. Bio-mimetic Adaptive Force/Position Control Using Fractal Impedance. Proc. IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conf. on Biomedical Robotics & Biomechatronics (BioRob), 2020.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ presentation] [ DOI: 10.1109/BioRob49111.2020.9224377] [ arXiv]
20. Carlos Mastalli, Rohan Budhiraja, Wolfgang Merkt, Guilhem Saurel, Bilal Hammoud, Maximilien Naveau, Justin Carpentier, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Nicolas Mansard. Crocoddyl: An Efficient and Versatile Framework for Multi-Contact Optimal Control. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2020.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ presentation] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1109/ICRA40945.2020.9196673] [ arXiv]
21. Vladimir Ivan, Arnau Garriga-Casanovas, Pouyan Khalili, Wolfgang Merkt, Frederic B. Cegla, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Autonomous Non-destructive Remote Robotic Inspection of Offshore Assets. Offshore Technology Conference, 2020.
    [ pdf] [ presentation] [ DOI: 10.4043/30754-MS]

2019

12. Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Continuous-Time Collision Avoidance for Trajectory Optimization in Dynamic Environments. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS), 2019.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8967641]
13. Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, Yiming Yang, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Towards Shared Autonomy Applications using Whole-body Control Formulations of Locomanipulation. Proc. IEEE 15th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE), 2019.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/COASE.2019.8843153]
14. Christopher E. Mower, Wolfgang Merkt, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Comparing Alternate Modes of Teleoperation for Constrained Tasks. Proc. IEEE 15th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE), 2019.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/COASE.2019.8843265] [ arXiv]
15. Vladimir Ivan, Yiming Yang, Wolfgang Merkt, Michael P. Camilleri, and Sethu Vijayakumar. EXOTica: An Extensible Optimization Toolset for Prototyping and Benchmarking Motion Planning and Control. in Koubaa, A. (ed.) Robot Operating System (ROS): The Complete Reference (Volume 3), Springer, p. 211-240, 2019. [documentation]
    [ pdf] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-91590-6_7]

2018

8. Chuanyu Yang, Kai Yuan, Wolfgang Merkt, Taku Komura, Sethu Vijayakumar, and Zhibin Li. Learning whole-body motor skills for humanoids. Proc. IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids 2018), 2018.
   [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2018.8625045] [ arXiv]
9. Yiming Yang, Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, Sethu Vijayakumar. Planning in Time-Configuration Space for Efficient Pick-and-Place in Non-Static Environments with Temporal Constraints. Proc. IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids 2018), 2018.
   [ pdf] [ video] [ code] [ DOI: 10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2018.8624989]
10. Henrique Ferrolho, Wolfgang Merkt, Yiming Yang, Vladimir Ivan, Sethu Vijayakumar. Whole-Body End-Pose Planning for Legged Robots on Inclined Support Surfaces in Complex Environments. Proc. IEEE-RAS 18th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids 2018), 2018.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2018.8625026]
11. Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Leveraging Precomputation with Problem Encoding for Warm-Starting Trajectory Optimization in Complex Environments. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Intelligent Robots (IROS 2018), 2018.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/IROS.2018.8593977]
12. Yiming Yang, Wolfgang Merkt, Vladimir Ivan, Zhibin Li, and Sethu Vijayakumar. HDRM: A Resolution Complete Dynamic Roadmap for Real-Time Motion Planning in Complex Scenes. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2018.
    [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2017.2773669]

2017

3. Wolfgang Merkt, Yiming Yang, Theodoros Stouraitis, Christopher Mower, Maurice Fallon, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Robust Shared Autonomy for Mobile Manipulation with Continuous Scene Monitoring. Proc. 13th IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, 2017. [details, including press coverage] [First Prize at Robots for Resilient Infrastructure Challenge 2017, Leeds, UK]
   [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/COASE.2017.8256092]
4. Yiming Yang, Wolfgang Merkt, Henrique Ferrolho, Vladimir Ivan, and Sethu Vijayakumar. Efficient Humanoid Motion Planning on Uneven Terrain Using Paired Forward-Inverse Dynamic Reachability Maps. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2017.
   [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2017.2727538]

2016

1. Yiming Yang, Vladimir Ivan, Wolfgang Merkt and Sethu Vijayakumar. Scaling Sampling–based Motion Planning to Humanoid Robots. Proc. IEEE International Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO 2016), Qingdao, China, 2016.
   [ pdf] [ video] [ DOI: 10.1109/ROBIO.2016.7866531]