Publications
Welcome to my collection of robotics research publications. My work focuses on mechanically adaptive robotics, optimal control, actuator design, and the theory of human performance augmentation—pushing the boundaries of intelligent systems and automation. Through peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, and patents, I share insights into the challenges and breakthroughs driving robot autonomy and adaptive technology. Explore my latest research and discover how these innovations are shaping the future of robotics.
Optimal torque and stiffness control in compliantly actuated robots
D.J. Braun, F. Petit, F. Huber, S. Haddadin, P. Smagt, A. Albu-Schaffer, and S. Vijayakumar, Optimal torque and stiffness control in compliantly actuated robots, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Algarve, PT, pp. 2801–2808, October 2012. This paper presents a control framework for robots…
Exploiting variable physical damping in rapid movement tasks
A. Radulescu, M. Howard, D.J. Braun, and S. Vijayakumar, Exploiting variable physical damping in rapid movement tasks, IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, Kaohsiung, TWN, pp. 141–148, July 2012. Best Student Paper Award Finalist. This paper introduces an actuator capable of independently modulating both stiffness…
Exploiting variable stiffness in explosive movement tasks
D.J. Braun, M. Howard, and S. Vijayakumar, Exploiting variable stiffness in explosive movement tasks, Robotics: Science and Systems, Los Angeles, USA, June/July 2011. This paper applies optimal control to coordinate torque and stiffness profiles for explosive robotic tasks such as throwing, hitting, or jumping. By tailoring time-varying…
Constraint-based equilibrium and stiffness control of variable stiffness actuators
M. Howard, D.J. Braun, and S. Vijayakumar, Constraint-based equilibrium and stiffness control of variable stiffness actuators, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Shanghai, CN, pp. 5554–5560, May 2011. This paper presents a unified control framework for variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) that is independent of the underlying…
A Control Approach for Actuated Dynamics Walking in Biped Robots
D.J. Braun, M. Goldfarb, A Control Approach for Actuated Dynamics Walking in Biped Robots, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 1292-1303, 2009. This paper presents a closed-loop control method for fully actuated biped robots that leverages natural system dynamics rather than prescribing joint trajectories.…
Elimination of Constrained Drift in the Numerical Simulation of Constrained Dynamical Systems
D.J. Braun, M. Goldfarb, Elimination of Constrained Drift in the Numerical Simulation of Constrained Dynamical Systems, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, vol. 198, no. 37-40, pp. 3151-3160, 2009. This paper introduces an explicit equation of motion for simulating constrained dynamical systems without suffering from error…
A Controller for Dynamic Walking in Bipedal Robots
D.J. Braun and M. Goldfarb, A controller for dynamic walking in bipedal robots, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, St. Louis, USA, pp. 2916–2921, October 2009. This paper presents a closed-loop control method for bipedal robots that achieves natural-looking and energy-efficient walking without prescribing joint…
Actuated Dynamic Walking in Biped Robots: Control Approach, Robot Design and Experimental Validation
D. J. Braun, J. E. Mitchell, and M. Goldfarb, Actuated dynamic walking in biped robots: Control approach, robot design and experimental validation, IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, Paris, FR, pp. 237–242, December 2009. This paper presents and experimentally validates a control strategy for actuated dynamic walking…
Adaptive steady-state stabilization for nonlinear dynamical systems
D.J. Braun, Adaptive steady-state stabilization for nonlinear dynamical systems, Physical Review E, vol. 78, no. 1, p. 016213, 2008. Reply to Comment on Adaptive steady-state stabilization for nonlinear dynamical systems, Physical Review E, vol. 81, no. 1, p. 038202, 2010. This paper proposes an adaptive control strategy for…
On the Optimal Shape of a Compressed Rotating Rod with Shear and Extensibility
D.J. Braun, On the Optimal Shape of Compressed Rotating Rod with Shear and Extensibility, International Journal of Non-linear Mechanics, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 131–139, 2008. This paper investigates the optimal shape of a compressed rotating rod that resists buckling when shear stress and axial extensibility are…
The Strongest Rotating Rod
T. M. Atanackovic and D.J. Braun, The strongest rotating rod, International Journal of Non-linear Mechanics, vol. 40, pp. 747–754, 2005. This paper develops a variational formulation for determining the optimal shape of a rotating rod that maximizes stability against buckling. The problem is expressed as a fifth-order…