Unfortunately, the benefits of the prior and representation do not involve novel view synthesis for dynamic motions. Ironically, this is because the main barrier is the reliance on them, which requires increasing training and rendering times to account for dynamic motions. In this paper, we design Explicit 4D Gaussian Splatting (Ex4DGS).Our key idea is to firstly separate static and dynamic Gaussians during training, and to explicitly sample positions and rotations of the dynamic Gaussians at sparse timestamps. The sampled positions and rotations are then interpolated to represent both spatially and temporally continuous motions of objects in dynamic scenes as well as reducing computational cost. Additionally, we introduce a progressive training scheme and a point-backtracking technique that improves Ex4DGS's convergence. We initially train Ex4DGS using short timestamps and progressively extend timestamps, which makes it work well with a few point clouds. The point-backtracking is used to quantify the cumulative error of each Gaussian over time, enabling the detection and removal of erroneous Gaussians in dynamic scenes. Comprehensive experiments on various scenes demonstrate the state-of-the-art rendering quality from our method, achieving fast rendering of 62 fps on a single 2080Ti GPU.

We present a novel recursive Bayesian estimation framework using B-splines for continuous-time 6-DoF dynamic motion estimation. The state vector consists of a recurrent set of position control points and orientation control point increments, enabling efficient estimation via a modified iterated extended Kalman filter without involving error-state formulations. The resulting recursive spline estimator (RESPLE) is further leveraged to develop a versatile suite of direct LiDAR-based odometry solutions, supporting the integration of one or multiple LiDARs and an IMU. We conduct extensive real-world evaluations using public datasets and our own experiments, covering diverse sensor setups, platforms, and environments. Compared to existing systems, RESPLE achieves comparable or superior estimation accuracy and robustness, while attaining real-time efficiency. Our results and analysis demonstrate RESPLE's strength in handling highly dynamic motions and complex scenes within a lightweight and flexible design, showing strong potential as a universal framework for multi-sensor motion estimation. We release the source code and experimental datasets at https://github.com/ASIG-X/RESPLE .

Abstract-- With academic and commercial interest for humanoid robots peaking, multiple platforms are being developed. Most of these systems remain closed-source or have high acquisition and maintenance costs, however . In this work, we present AGILOped -- an open-source humanoid robot that closes the gap between high performance and accessibility. Our robot is driven by off-the-shelf backdrivable actuators with high power density and uses standard electronic components. With a height of 110 cm and weighing only 14.5 kg, AGILOped can be operated without a gantry by a single person. Experiments in walking, jumping, impact mitigation and getting-up demonstrate its viability for use in research. Humanoid robotics is currently experiencing a surge in development, fueled by the elusive idea of universal automatons capable of performing work at a level similar to humans. This is the result of several key technologies maturing to the point of viability.

Unfortunately, the benefits of the prior and representation do not involve novel view synthesis for dynamic motions. Ironically, this is because the main barrier is the reliance on them, which requires increasing training and rendering times to account for dynamic motions. In this paper, we design Explicit 4D Gaussian Splatting (Ex4DGS).Our key idea is to firstly separate static and dynamic Gaussians during training, and to explicitly sample positions and rotations of the dynamic Gaussians at sparse timestamps. The sampled positions and rotations are then interpolated to represent both spatially and temporally continuous motions of objects in dynamic scenes as well as reducing computational cost. Additionally, we introduce a progressive training scheme and a point-backtracking technique that improves Ex4DGS's convergence.

--Dynamic and contact-rich object manipulation, such as striking, snatching, or hammering, remains challenging for robotic systems due to hardware limitations. Most existing robots are constrained by high-inertia design, limited compliance, and reliance on expensive torque sensors. T o address this, we introduce ARMADA (Affordable Robot for Manipulation and Dynamic Actions), a 6 degrees-of-freedom bimanual robot designed for dynamic manipulation research. ARMADA combines low-inertia, back-drivable actuators with a lightweight design, using readily available components and 3D-printed links for ease of assembly in research labs. The entire system, including both arms, is built for just $6,100. Each arm achieves speeds up to 6.16m/s, almost twice that of most collaborative robots, with a comparable payload of 2.5kg. We demonstrate ARMADA can perform dynamic manipulation like snatching, hammering, and bimanual throwing in real-world environments. We also showcase its effectiveness in reinforcement learning (RL) by training a non-prehensile manipulation policy in simulation and transferring it zero-shot to the real world, as well as human motion shadowing for dynamic bimanual object throwing. ARMADA is fully open-sourced with detailed assembly instructions, CAD models, URDFs, simulation, and learning codes. We highly recommend viewing the supplementary video at https://sites.google.com/view/im2-humanoid-arm. I NTRODUCTION Humans use a rich set of action repertoire to manipulate objects: we not only pick-and-place objects but also toss laundry, slide a box, snatch a pen, hammer a nail, otherwise arXiv:2502.16908v1 In contrast, most manipulators today are limited to picking, where a robot simply grasps an object to resist the frictional force. While kinematic pick-and-place is sufficient for static, controlled tasks, dynamic manipulation is necessary for building an effective general-purpose robot.

In recent years, some research on musculoskeletal humanoids is in progress. However, there are some challenges such as unmeasurable transformation of body structure and muscle path, and difficulty in measuring own motion because of lack of joint angle sensor. In this study, we suggest two motion acquisition methods. One is a method to acquire antagonistic relations of muscles by tension sensing, and the other is a method to acquire correct hand trajectory by vision sensing. Finally, we realize badminton shuttlecock-hitting motion of Kengoro with these two acquisition methods.

Imitation Learning (IL) is a promising paradigm for learning dynamic manipulation of deformable objects since it does not depend on difficult-to-create accurate simulations of such objects. However, the translation of motions demonstrated by a human to a robot is a challenge for IL, due to differences in the embodiments and the robot's physical limits. These limits are especially relevant in dynamic manipulation where high velocities and accelerations are typical. To address this problem, we propose a framework that first maps a dynamic demonstration into a motion that respects the robot's constraints using a constrained Dynamic Movement Primitive. Second, the resulting object state is further optimized by quasi-static refinement motions to optimize task performance metrics. This allows both efficiently altering the object state by dynamic motions and stable small-scale refinements. We evaluate the framework in the challenging task of bag opening, designing the system BILBO: Bimanual dynamic manipulation using Imitation Learning for Bag Opening. Our results show that BILBO can successfully open a wide range of crumpled bags, using a demonstration with a single bag. See supplementary material at https://sites.google.com/view/bilbo-bag.

Controlled execution of dynamic motions in quadrupedal robots, especially those with articulated soft bodies, presents a unique set of challenges that traditional methods struggle to address efficiently. In this study, we tackle these issues by relying on a simple yet effective two-stage learning framework to generate dynamic motions for quadrupedal robots. First, a gradient-free evolution strategy is employed to discover simply represented control policies, eliminating the need for a predefined reference motion. Then, we refine these policies using deep reinforcement learning. Our approach enables the acquisition of complex motions like pronking and back-flipping, effectively from scratch. Additionally, our method simplifies the traditionally labour-intensive task of reward shaping, boosting the efficiency of the learning process. Importantly, our framework proves particularly effective for articulated soft quadrupeds, whose inherent compliance and adaptability make them ideal for dynamic tasks but also introduce unique control challenges.

MIT researchers developed an AI technique that enables a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand, not just the fingertips. This model can generate effective plans in about a minute using a standard laptop. Here, a robot attempts to rotate a bucket 180 degrees. Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers out and lift that box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and balance it against your chest, using your whole body to manipulate the box.

MIT researchers developed an AI technique that enables a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand, not just the fingertips. This model can generate effective plans in about a minute using a standard laptop. Here, a robot attempts to rotate a bucket 180 degrees. Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers out and lift that box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and balance it against your chest, using your whole body to manipulate the box.