VP-STO: Via-point-based Stochastic Trajectory Optimization for Reactive Robot Behavior

Abstract-- Achieving reactive robot behavior in complex dynamic environments is still challenging as it relies on being able to solve trajectory optimization problems quickly enough, such that we can replan the future motion at frequencies which are sufficiently high for the task at hand. We argue that current limitations in Model Predictive Control (MPC) for robot manipulators arise from inefficient, high-dimensional trajectory representations and the negligence of time-optimality in the trajectory optimization process. Therefore, we propose a motion optimization framework that optimizes jointly over space and time, generating smooth and timing-optimal robot trajectories in joint-space. Such task settings require performance. Compared to gradient-based optimization, the robot to be reactive to unforeseen changes in stochastic approaches typically also achieve higher robustness the environment, e.g., due to dynamic obstacles, as well to difficult reward landscapes due to their exploratory as to be robust and compliant when operating alongside properties [5].