MM functions, formed by finite composition of the operators min, max and translation, represent discrete-event systems involving disjunction, conjunction and delay. The paper shows how they may be formulated as homogeneous rational algebraic functions of degree one, over (max, +) algebra, and reviews the properties of such homogeneous functions, illustrated by some orbit-stability problems.

We introduce rational semimodules over semirings whose addition is idempotent, like the max-plus semiring, in order to extend the geometric approach of linear control to discrete event systems. We say that a subsemimodule of the free semimodule ${𝒮}^n$ over a semiring $𝒮$ is rational if it has a generating family that is a rational subset of ${𝒮}^n$, ${𝒮}^n$ being thought of as a monoid under the entrywise product. We show that for various semirings of max-plus type whose elements are integers, rational semimodules...

This paper addresses the issues of unstructured terrain modeling for the purpose of navigation with legged robots. We present an improved elevation grid concept adopted to the specific requirements of a small legged robot with limited perceptual capabilities. We propose an extension of the elevation grid update mechanism by incorporating a formal treatment of the spatial uncertainty. Moreover, this paper presents uncertainty models for a structured light RGB-D sensor and a stereo vision camera used...

This paper investigates the geometric and structural characteristics involved in the control of general mechanisms and manipulation systems. These systems consist of multiple cooperating linkages that interact with a reference member of the mechanism (the “object”) by means of contacts on any available part of their links. Grasp and manipulation of an object by the human hand is taken as a paradigmatic example for this class of manipulators. Special attention is devoted to the output specification...