CALIPSO - A Differentiable Solver for Trajectory Optimization with Conic and Complementarity Constraints

CALIPSO - A Differentiable Solver for Trajectory Optimization with Conic and Complementarity Constraints

We present a new solver for non-convex trajectory optimization problems that is specialized for robotics applications. CALIPSO, or the Conic Augmented Lagrangian Interior-Point SOlver, combines several strategies for constrained numerical optimization to natively handle second-order cones and complementarity constraints. It reliably solves challenging motion-planning problems that include contact-implicit formulations of impacts and Coulomb friction, thrust limits subject to conic constraints, and state-triggered constraints where general-purpose nonlinear programming solvers like SNOPT and Ipopt fail to converge. Additionally, CALIPSO supports efficient differentiation of solutions with respect to problem data, enabling bi-level optimization applications like auto-tuning of feedback policies. Reliable convergence of the solver is demonstrated on a range of problems from manipulation, locomotion, and aerospace domains. An open-source implementation of this solver is available.

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People

Taylor Howell
Ph.D. in MechE, Stanford. Now at Google DeepMind.
Kevin Tracy
M.S. in MechE, Stanford, Ph.D. in Robotics, CMU. Now at Gridmatic.
Simon Le Cleac'h
Ph.D. in MechE, Stanford. Now at RAI Institute.
Zac Manchester
Associate Professor
Last updated: 2022-05-28