sensepropulsion

Sensepropulsion is a concept in robotics and related fields that describes the integration of sensory perception and propulsion control into a tightly coupled closed-loop system. It emphasizes how sensory information from proprioceptive and exteroceptive sources directly modulates propulsion commands to achieve robust, adaptive locomotion. In practice, sensepropulsion contrasts with architectures in which sensing feeds a separate planning layer; here, sensing and actuation influence each other on short timescales to maintain stability and performance.

Core components include sensors such as inertial measurement units, wheel encoders, tactile arrays, cameras, and lidar; actuators that produce propulsion, including motors, hydraulic drives, thrusters, or compliant limbs; and a control layer that performs state estimation, sensor fusion, and reflex-like modulation of thrust, torque, or speed. The goal is to create fast, energy-efficient responses to terrain, disturbances, and dynamic interactions with the environment.

Benefits include improved stability, obstacle negotiation, and energy efficiency, as well as resilience to sensor faults through redundant sensing and graceful degradation. Trade-offs involve managing latency, avoiding overreaction or oscillations in the control loop, and addressing sensor noise and calibration needs.

Applications span mobile robots, legged and underwater vehicles, and assistive devices such as myoelectric prosthetics. Research directions cover learning-based methods to optimize the sensing-propulsion coupling, rigorous stability analyses, and standardized benchmarks for comparing sensepropulsion systems.