Ludovic Righetti

Research Assistant, Biologically Inspired Robotics Group, EPFL

Short Bio

Ludovic Righetti has a BSc/MSc in Computer Science from the EPFL (march 2004). His master thesis, for which he received the Landry Award, was done at the BIRG on humanoid robotics. He was interested in Control and Synchronization with Nonlinear Dynamical Systems for an application to Humanoid Robotics where he designed a dynamical system able to synchronize and to adapt its intrinsic frequency to the frequency of an arbitrary input signal.
He is currently doing a PhD at the BIRG which he joined the 1st september 2004. He is mainly involved in the RobotCUB project , an European project building an open source humanoid robot as a platform to study cognition and emergent behavior.
He is interested in the comprehension of emergent behavior and self-organization in living systems. Its main research topic is to understand how animals control movement and how they can adapt so efficiently to their constantly changing environment. Its aim is to model these adaptation capabilities and to apply these models to the control of autonomous robots and more specifically to humanoid robots.

Publications

Journal Publications

J. Buchli, L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Frequency analysis with coupled nonlinear oscillators. Physica D, In press. PDF/BibTex

N.G. Tsakarakis, G. Metta, G. Sandini, D. Vernon, R. Beira, F. Becchi, L. Righetti, J. Santos-Victor, A.J. Ijspeert, M.C. Carrozza, and D.G. Caldwell. iCub - The Design and Realization of an Open Humanoid Platform for Cognitive and Neuroscience Research. Journal of Advanced Robotics: Special issue on Robotic platforms for Research in Neuroscience, 21(10):1151-1175, 2007. PDF/BibTex

J. Buchli, L. Righetti, and A.J. Ijspeert. Engineering entrainment and adaptation in limit cycle systems - from biological inspiration to applications in robotics. Biological Cybernetics, 95(6):645-664, 2006. PDF /BibTex

L. Righetti, J. Buchli, and A.J. Ijspeert. Dynamic Hebbian learning in adaptive frequency oscillators. Physica D, 216(2):269-281, 2006. PDF /BibTex

Conference papers

L. Righetti and A. Ijspeert. Pattern generators with sensory feedback for the control of quadruped locomotion. In Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA08). In Press. PDF/Bibtex

S. Degallier, L. Righetti and A. Ijspeert. Hand placement during quadruped locomotion in a humanoid robot: A dynamical system approach. In Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2007), pages 2047-2052, November 2007. PDF/ Bibtex

N.G. Tsagarakis, F. Becchi, L. Righetti, A. Ijspeert and D.G. Caldwell. Lower body realization of the baby humanoid - 'icub'. In Proceedings of the 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2007), pages 3616-3622, November 2007. PDF/ Bibtex

S. Degallier, C. P. Santos, L. Righetti and A. Ijspeert, Movement generation using dynamical systems: a humanoid robot performing a drumming task . in Proceedings of the IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS06), 2006. PDF/Bibtex

L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Design methodologies for central pattern generators: an application to crawling humanoids, Robotic Science and Systems 2006, p191-198. PDF/Bibtex

L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Programmable Central Pattern Generators: an application to biped locomotion control, In Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA06). Orlando, Florida - May 2006, pages 1585-1590, (Finalist for the Best Student Paper Award). PDF/Bibtex

G. Metta, G. Sandini, D. Vernon, D. Caldwell, N. Tsagarakis, R. Beira, J. Santos-Victor, A. Ijspeert, L. Righetti, G. Cappiello, G. Stellin, F. and Becchi. The RobotCub project - an open framework for research in embodied cognition, Humanoids Workshop, Proceedings of the IEEE -RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, December 2005. PDF/Bibtex

L. Righetti, J. Buchli, and A.J. Ijspeert. From Dynamic Hebbian Learning for Oscillators to Adaptive Central Pattern Generators. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines - AMAM2005. Verlag ISLE, Ilmenau, 2005. Full paper on CD. PDF/BibTex

J. Buchli, L. Righetti, and A.J. Ijspeert. A dynamical systems approach to learning: a frequency-adaptive hopper robot. In Proceedings of the VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life ECAL 2005, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence. Springer Verlag, 2005, p210-220. PDF/BibTex

Miljan Vuletic, Ludovic Righetti, Laura Pozzi, and Paolo Ienne: Operating system support for interface virtualisation of reconfigurable coprocessors. In Proceedings of the Design, Automation and Test in Europe Conference and Exhibition, Paris, March 2004, PDF

Miljan Vuletic, Ludovic Righetti, Laura Pozzi, and Paolo Ienne: Operating System Support for Interface Virtualisation of Reconfigurable Coprocessors. Workshop on Application Specific Processors (WASP-2), 2003, PDF

Ludovic Righetti, Solaiman Shokur, and Mathieu Capcarrere: Evolution of Fault-tolerant Self-replicating Structures In W Banzhaf et al, editor, The Seventh European Conference on Artificial Life: ECAL'2003 Proceedings, 2003, PDF

Conference Abstracts

L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Design methodologies for central pattern generators: towards intelligent locomotion in robots, In Proceedings of 50th anniversary summit of artificial intelligence. Monte Verita, 2006. Abstract. PDF/BibTex

J. Buchli, L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Adaptive dynamical systems: A promising tool for embodied artificial intelligence, In Proceedings of 50th anniversary summit of artificial intelligence. Monte Verita, 2006. Abstract. PDF/BibTex

L. Righetti, J. Buchli, and A.J. Ijspeert. Adaptive frequency oscillators applied to dynamic walking I. Programmable pattern generators, In Proceedings of Dynamic Walking 2006. Ann Arbor, 2006 Abstract. PDF/BibTex

J. Buchli, L. Righetti, and A.J. Ijspeert. Adaptive frequency oscillators applied to dynamic walking II. Adapting to resonant body dynamics, In Proceedings of Dynamic Walking 2006. Ann Arbor, 2006 Abstract. PDF/BibTex

L. Righetti, J. Buchli, and A.J. Ijspeert. From Dynamic Hebbian Learning for Oscillators to Adaptive Central Pattern Generators. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines - AMAM2005, page 45. Verlag ISLE, Ilmenau, 2005. Abstract. PDF/BibTex

J.Buchli, L. Righetti and A.J. Ijspeert. Adaptive dynamical systems for movement control In Proceedings of 3rd International Symposium on Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines - AMAM 2005, page 7. Verlag ISLE, Ilmenau, 2005. Abstract.PDF/BibTex

Not-peer-reviewed publications

L. Righetti, J. Buchli and A.J. Ijspeert. Programmable Central Pattern Generators, in Dynamical Principles for neuroscience and intelligent biomimetic devices - Abstracts of the EPFL-LATSIS Symposium 2006, Auke Jan Ijspeert, Jonas Buchli, Allen Selverston, Mikhail Rabinovich, Martin Hasler, Wulfram Gerstner, Aude Billard, Henry Markram and Dario Floreano (Eds), EPFL, Lausanne, 2006, pp 129-130.

A.J. Ijspeert, J. Buchli, A. Crespi, L. Righetti, and Y. Bourquin. Institute presentation: Biologically inspired robotics group at EPFL. International Journal of Advanced Robotics Systems, 2(2):175-199, 2005. PDF/BibTex

Program Committee Member

ECAL2005 The Eighth European Conference on Artificial Life

Awards

Finalist for the Best Student Paper Award at ICRA06
The paper Programmable Central Pattern Generators: an application to biped locomotion control was one of the 3 finalists for the Best Student Paper Award at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2006.

Jean Landry Award (April 2004)
Awards an original and personal scientific work, obtained for the master thesis Control and Synchronization with Nonlinear Dynamical Systems for an application to Humanoid Robotics

Talks

Regular talks at international conferences

Design methodologies for Central Pattern Generators: an application to crawling humanoids - RSS06
Programmable Central Pattern Generators: an application to biped locomotion control - ICRA06
From Dynamic Hebbian Learning for Oscillators to Adaptive Central Pattern Generators - AMAM05
Evolution of Fault-tolerant Self-replicating Structures - ECAL03

Talks at Universities

Crawling infants and dynamical systems: mathematical models and applications to legged locomotion - Cognitive Sciences Brown Bag Talk @ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory - Zurich University - April 1st, 2008
Oscillators, Central Pattern Generators and the Control of Legged Locomotion - Nonlinear Systems Laboratory - MIT - May 11th, 2006
Oscillators, Central Pattern Generators and the Control of Legged Locomotion - Robot Locomotion Group - Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory - MIT - May 12th, 2006
Adaptive frequency oscillators for the design of Central Pattern Generators - IIIT Allahabad, March 2006

Contact

Ludovic Righetti
Biologically Inspired Robotics Group
EPFL-IC-ISIM-LSL
INN 235 (Bâtiment INN)
Station 14
CH-1015 Lausanne

birg.epfl.ch
++4121 693 26 76