Mr. LE, Nhat Dinh Minh（3rd-year doctoral student in Ho Lab, Human Information Science Research Area）received Best Student Paper Award in The 2024 16th IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration (SII2024).

SII2024 was hosted by VNU University of Engineering and Technology and held in Vietnam (Ha Long) from January 8-11. IEEE/SICE SII is the premier symposium series presenting the state of the art and future perspectives of system integration, where industrial experts, researchers, and academics share ideas and experiences surrounding frontier technologies, breakthrough and innovative solutions and applications. System integration is one of the key technologies and the integration of hardware and software is especially important to solve the industrial or social system problems in the new century. The symposium focused on new research and industrial applications of systems integration, and discussed approaches and methodologies to improve the effectiveness of systems integration.
The Best Student Paper Award was given to the student with the best research results and presentation at the symposium.

* Reference：SII2024

■Date Awarded
January 10, 2024

■Title
Distributed Cascade Force Control of Soft-Tactile-Based Multi-Robot System for Object Transportation

■Authors
Duy Anh Nguyen(University of Prince Edward Island), Nhat Minh Dinh Le, Nhan Huu Nguyen, Pham Duy Hung(University of Engineering and Technology (VNU-UET)), Van Anh Ho, Trung Dung Ngo(University of Prince Edward Island)

■Abstract
In this paper, we present a distributed cascade force control system (DCFC) for multiple robots with the aim of pushing a rigid object towards a desired moving target without their inter-robot communication. These mobile robots are equipped with 360-degree vision-based soft tactile sensors utilized to determine contact location and resultant impact force. By investigating the dynamics of moving rigid objects on the flat, we proposed a distributed cascade control. The inner loop control incorporates contact force and positioning, ensuring the robots' pushing contact and applying the desired force to the object. The outer loop control coordinates the robots to push the object in a desired direction without inter-robot communication, regardless of unknown object mass and friction uncertainty. The stability and convergence of the control system are verified using the Lyapunov stability theory. We also conducted simulation and real-world experiments to validate the performance of the proposed control method, and the experimental results showcase the successful coordination of multiple robots in pushing an object towards a moving desired direction.

■Comment
I am incredibly grateful to every author who contributed to this project especially Lecturer Pham Duy Hung, Assistant Professor Nguyen Huu Nhan, Professor Trung Dung Ngo and Associate Professor Ho Anh Van. Without your dedication, expertise, and unwavering support, receiving this best student paper award at SII2024 would not have been possible. Besides, I extend my huge thanks to Nguyen Anh Duy for going above and beyond! His hard work led to incredible results, and his presentation at SII2024 was simply amazing. I'm particularly thankful to the JAIST Off-Campus Research Grant Program for providing me with the invaluable opportunity to conduct research in Canada. This experience significantly enhanced my abilities and boosted more productive collaboration within our team. Together, we were able to achieve remarkable progress, and this award serves as a powerful proof of our efforts. Looking ahead, I'm excited to continue building upon this momentum and explore new research avenues alongside my talented colleagues and greatest professors.

February 27, 2024