Automatic Generation of Balletic Motions

As cyber-physical systems become more prevalent, specifications for these systems must be formulated in a more nuanced manner. This paper presents a particular instantiation of such specification by proposing a framework that endows robotic motions with a sense of aesthetic style. Drawing inspiration from classical ballet, poses are cast as discrete states and movements as the transitions between these states. Thus, a given movement style is encoded in the availability of transitions at each state, and the dynamics of a complex physical trajectory are abstracted as a system which moves between these states. Using Linear Temporal Logic (LTL), we are able to further constrain the set of possible sequences through the transition system and thus prevent it from evolving through a sequence of states that is physically impossible or aesthetically undesirable. Our overarching objective is to facilitate subtle degrees of control over systems as such subtleties are required, more and more, to interact in a social and aesthetically driven world.