Robust autonomous navigation in environments with limited visibility remains a critical challenge in robotics. We present a novel approach that leverages Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) sensing using single-photon LiDAR to improve visibility and enhance autonomous navigation. Our method enables mobile robots to "see around corners" by utilizing multi-bounce light information, effectively expanding their perceptual range without additional infrastructure. We propose a three-module pipeline: (1) Sensing, which captures multi-bounce histograms using SPAD-based LiDAR; (2) Perception, which estimates occupancy maps of hidden regions from these histograms using a convolutional neural network; and (3) Control, which allows a robot to follow safe paths based on the estimated occupancy. We evaluate our approach through simulations and real-world experiments on a mobile robot navigating an L-shaped corridor with hidden obstacles. Our work represents the first experimental demonstration of NLOS imaging for autonomous navigation, paving the way for safer and more efficient robotic systems operating in complex environments. We also contribute a novel dynamics-integrated transient rendering framework for simulating NLOS scenarios, facilitating future research in this domain.

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) are an increasingly popular class of techniques for the numerical solution of partial differential equations (PDEs), where neural networks are trained using loss functions regularized by relevant PDE terms to enforce physical constraints. We present a new class of PINNs called HyResPINNs, which augment traditional PINNs with adaptive hybrid residual blocks that combine the outputs of a standard neural network and a radial basis function (RBF) network. A key feature of our method is the inclusion of adaptive combination parameters within each residual block, which dynamically learn to weigh the contributions of the neural network and RBF network outputs. Additionally, adaptive connections between residual blocks allow for flexible information flow throughout the network. We show that HyResPINNs are more robust to training point locations and neural network architectures than traditional PINNs. Moreover, HyResPINNs offer orders of magnitude greater accuracy than competing methods on certain problems, with only modest increases in training costs. We demonstrate the strengths of our approach on challenging PDEs, including the Allen-Cahn equation and the Darcy-Flow equation. Our results suggest that HyResPINNs effectively bridge the gap between traditional numerical methods and modern machine learning-based solvers.

This paper investigates dual sourcing problems with supply mode dependent failure rates, particularly relevant in managing spare parts for downtime-critical assets. To enhance resilience, businesses increasingly adopt dual sourcing strategies using both conventional and additive manufacturing techniques. This paper explores how these strategies can optimise sourcing by addressing variations in part properties and failure rates. A significant challenge is the distinct failure characteristics of parts produced by these methods, which influence future demand. To tackle this, we propose a new iterative heuristic and several reinforcement learning techniques combined with an endogenous parameterised learning (EPL) approach. This EPL approach - compatible with any learning method - allows a single policy to handle various input parameters for multiple items. In a stylised setting, our best policy achieves an average optimality gap of 0.4%. In a case study within the energy sector, our policies outperform the baseline in 91.1% of instances, yielding average cost savings up to 22.6%.

In this paper, we develop a framework for the automatic taxiing of aircraft between hangar and take-off given a graph-based model of an airport. We implement a high-level path-planning algorithm that models taxiway intersections as nodes in an undirected graph, algorithmically constructs a directed graph according to the physical limitations of the aircraft, and finds the shortest valid taxi path through the directed graph using Dijkstra's algorithm. We then use this shortest path to construct a reference trajectory for the aircraft to follow that considers the turning capabilities of a given aircraft. Using high-order control barrier functions (HOCBFs), we construct safety conditions for multi-obstacle avoidance and safe reference tracking for simple 2D unicycle dynamics with acceleration control inputs. We then use these safety conditions to design an MPC-CBF framework that tracks the reference trajectory while adhering to the safety constraints. We compare the performance of our MPC-CBF controller with a PID-CBF control method via simulations.

Haptic devices have shown to be valuable in supplementing surgical training, especially when providing haptic feedback based on user performance metrics such as wrench applied by the user on the tool. However, current 6-axis force/torque sensors are prohibitively expensive. This paper presents the design and calibration of a low-cost, six-axis force/torque sensor specially designed for laparoscopic haptic training applications. The proposed design uses Hall-effect sensors to measure the change in the position of magnets embedded in a silicone layer that results from an applied wrench to the device. Preliminary experimental validation demonstrates that these sensors can achieve an accuracy of 0.45 N and 0.014 Nm, and a theoretical XY range of +/-50N, Z range of +/-20N, and torque range of +/-0.2Nm. This study indicates that the proposed low-cost 6-axis force/torque sensor can accurately measure user force and provide useful feedback during laparoscopic training on a haptic device.

Predicting the ground-state 3D molecular conformations from 2D molecular graphs is critical in computational chemistry due to its profound impact on molecular properties. Deep learning (DL) approaches have recently emerged as promising alternatives to computationally-heavy classical methods such as density functional theory (DFT). However, we discover that existing DL methods inadequately model inter-atomic forces, particularly for non-bonded atomic pairs, due to their naive usage of bonds and pairwise distances. Consequently, significant prediction errors occur for atoms with low degree (i.e., low coordination numbers) whose conformations are primarily influenced by non-bonded interactions. To address this, we propose REBIND, a novel framework that rewires molecular graphs by adding edges based on the Lennard-Jones potential to capture non-bonded interactions for low-degree atoms. Experimental results demonstrate that REBIND significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods across various molecular sizes, achieving up to a 20\% reduction in prediction error.

This paper presents a solution to the problem of optimal ground station selection for low-Earth orbiting (LEO) space missions that enables mission operators to precisely design their ground segment performance and costs. Space mission operators are increasingly turning to Ground-Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS) providers to supply the terrestrial communications segment to reduce costs and increase network size. However, this approach leads to a new challenge of selecting the optimal service providers and station locations for a given mission. We consider the problem of ground station selection as an optimization problem and present a general solution framework that allows mission designers to set their overall optimization objective and constrain key mission performance variables such as total data downlink, total mission cost, recurring operational cost, and maximum communications time-gap. We solve the problem using integer programming (IP). To address computational scaling challenges, we introduce a surrogate optimization approach where the optimal station selection is determined based on solving the problem over a reduced time domain. Two different IP formulations are evaluated using randomized selections of LEO satellites of varying constellation sizes. We consider the networks of the commercial GSaaS providers Atlas Space Operations, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ground Station, Azure Orbital Ground Station, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), Leaf Space, and Viasat Real-Time Earth. We compare our results against standard operational practices of integrating with one or two primary ground station providers.

Flow matching has recently emerged as a powerful paradigm for generative modeling and has been extended to probabilistic time series forecasting in latent spaces. However, the impact of the specific choice of probability path model on forecasting performance remains under-explored. In this work, we demonstrate that forecasting spatio-temporal data with flow matching is highly sensitive to the selection of the probability path model. Motivated by this insight, we propose a novel probability path model designed to improve forecasting performance. Our empirical results across various dynamical system benchmarks show that our model achieves faster convergence during training and improved predictive performance compared to existing probability path models. Importantly, our approach is efficient during inference, requiring only a few sampling steps. This makes our proposed model practical for real-world applications and opens new avenues for probabilistic forecasting.

Neural Stochastic Differential Equations (Neural SDEs) have emerged as powerful mesh-free generative models for continuous stochastic processes, with critical applications in fields such as finance, physics, and biology. Previous state-of-the-art methods have relied on adversarial training, such as GANs, or on minimizing distance measures between processes using signature kernels. However, GANs suffer from issues like instability, mode collapse, and the need for specialized training techniques, while signature kernel-based methods require solving linear PDEs and backpropagating gradients through the solver, whose computational complexity scales quadratically with the discretization steps. In this paper, we identify a novel class of strictly proper scoring rules for comparing continuous Markov processes. This theoretical finding naturally leads to a novel approach called Finite Dimensional Matching (FDM) for training Neural SDEs. Our method leverages the Markov property of SDEs to provide a computationally efficient training objective. This scoring rule allows us to bypass the computational overhead associated with signature kernels and reduces the training complexity from $O(D^2)$ to $O(D)$ per epoch, where $D$ represents the number of discretization steps of the process. We demonstrate that FDM achieves superior performance, consistently outperforming existing methods in terms of both computational efficiency and generative quality.

This paper presents a method for detecting and estimating vehicle speeds using PlanetScope SuperDove satellite imagery, offering a scalable solution for global vehicle traffic monitoring. Conventional methods such as stationary sensors and mobile systems like UAVs are limited in coverage and constrained by high costs and legal restrictions. Satellite-based approaches provide broad spatial coverage but face challenges, including high costs, low frame rates, and difficulty detecting small vehicles in high-resolution imagery. We propose a Keypoint R-CNN model to track vehicle trajectories across RGB bands, leveraging band timing differences to estimate speed. Validation is performed using drone footage and GPS data covering highways in Germany and Poland. Our model achieved a Mean Average Precision of 0.53 and velocity estimation errors of approximately 3.4 m/s compared to GPS data. Results from drone comparison reveal underestimations, with average speeds of 112.85 km/h for satellite data versus 131.83 km/h from drone footage. While challenges remain with high-speed accuracy, this approach demonstrates the potential for scalable, daily traffic monitoring across vast areas, providing valuable insights into global traffic dynamics.