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 [BibTeX] [Marc21]
Fast GPU Evaluation of Differentiable Signed Distance Fields for Robotics via Tensor Decompositions
Type of publication: Journal paper
Citation: Govoni_RAS_2026
Publication status: Published
Journal: Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Year: 2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2026.105394
Abstract: Safe and efficient collision avoidance is essential for robots operating in dynamic and cluttered environments. We present a task-priority control framework that embeds signed distance fields (SDFs) directly into the control loop, enabling smooth and reactive avoidance of both environmental and self-collisions. Robot links are represented with Bernstein polynomial-based distance fields, which provide continuous geometry models and closed-form gradients for defining repulsive actions. These avoidance behaviors are activated seamlessly within the task hierarchy and executed in real time through a GPU-accelerated implementation. The framework is validated on fixed base and mobile manipulators exposed to dynamic obstacles sensed with depth cameras and laser scanners. Results show consistent improvements in responsiveness, computational efficiency and motion smoothness compared to conventional optimization-based approaches, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating SDFs into task-priority control for robust robot motion in unstructured environments.
Main Research Program: Human-AI Teaming
Keywords: robot learning, robot manipulation, robotics
Projects: Idiap
Authors: Govoni, Andrea
Calinon, Sylvain
Palli, Gianluca
Added by: [UNK]
Total mark: 0
Attachments
  • Govoni_RAS_2026.pdf
Notes