3,456 research outputs found
Supervised Autonomous Locomotion and Manipulation for Disaster Response with a Centaur-like Robot
Mobile manipulation tasks are one of the key challenges in the field of
search and rescue (SAR) robotics requiring robots with flexible locomotion and
manipulation abilities. Since the tasks are mostly unknown in advance, the
robot has to adapt to a wide variety of terrains and workspaces during a
mission. The centaur-like robot Centauro has a hybrid legged-wheeled base and
an anthropomorphic upper body to carry out complex tasks in environments too
dangerous for humans. Due to its high number of degrees of freedom, controlling
the robot with direct teleoperation approaches is challenging and exhausting.
Supervised autonomy approaches are promising to increase quality and speed of
control while keeping the flexibility to solve unknown tasks. We developed a
set of operator assistance functionalities with different levels of autonomy to
control the robot for challenging locomotion and manipulation tasks. The
integrated system was evaluated in disaster response scenarios and showed
promising performance.Comment: In Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent
Robots and Systems (IROS), Madrid, Spain, October 201
Do-It-Yourself Single Camera 3D Pointer Input Device
We present a new algorithm for single camera 3D reconstruction, or 3D input
for human-computer interfaces, based on precise tracking of an elongated
object, such as a pen, having a pattern of colored bands. To configure the
system, the user provides no more than one labelled image of a handmade
pointer, measurements of its colored bands, and the camera's pinhole projection
matrix. Other systems are of much higher cost and complexity, requiring
combinations of multiple cameras, stereocameras, and pointers with sensors and
lights. Instead of relying on information from multiple devices, we examine our
single view more closely, integrating geometric and appearance constraints to
robustly track the pointer in the presence of occlusion and distractor objects.
By probing objects of known geometry with the pointer, we demonstrate
acceptable accuracy of 3D localization.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 2018 15th Conference on Computer and Robot Visio
Hierarchical Salient Object Detection for Assisted Grasping
Visual scene decomposition into semantic entities is one of the major
challenges when creating a reliable object grasping system. Recently, we
introduced a bottom-up hierarchical clustering approach which is able to
segment objects and parts in a scene. In this paper, we introduce a transform
from such a segmentation into a corresponding, hierarchical saliency function.
In comprehensive experiments we demonstrate its ability to detect salient
objects in a scene. Furthermore, this hierarchical saliency defines a most
salient corresponding region (scale) for every point in an image. Based on
this, an easy-to-use pick and place manipulation system was developed and
tested exemplarily.Comment: Accepted for ICRA 201
Model-based autonomous system for performing dexterous, human-level manipulation tasks
This article presents a model based approach to autonomous dexterous manipulation, developed as part of the DARPA Autonomous Robotic Manipulation Software (ARM-S) program. Performing human-level manipulation tasks is achieved through a novel combination of perception in uncertain environments, precise tool use, forceful dual-arm planning and control, persistent environmental tracking, and task level verification. Deliberate interaction with the environment is incorporated into planning and control strategies, which, when coupled with world estimation, allows for refinement of models and precise manipulation. The system takes advantage of sensory feedback immediately with little open-loop execution, attempting true autonomous reasoning and multi-step sequencing that adapts in the face of changing and uncertain environments. A tire change scenario utilizing human tools, discussed throughout the article, is used to described the system approach. A second scenario of cutting a wire is also presented, and is used to illustrate system component reuse and generality.United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Autonomous Robotic Manipulation Progra
Physical simulation for monocular 3D model based tracking
The problem of model-based object tracking in three dimensions is addressed. Most previous work on tracking assumes simple motion models, and consequently tracking typically fails in a variety of situations. Our insight is that incorporating physics models of object behaviour improves tracking performance in these cases. In particular it allows us to handle tracking in the face of rigid body interactions where there is also occlusion and fast object motion. We show how to incorporate rigid body physics simulation into a particle filter. We present two methods for this based on pose and force noise. The improvements are tested on four videos of a robot pushing an object, and results indicate that our approach performs considerably better than a plain particle filter tracker, with the force noise method producing the best results over the range of test videos
Analysis and Observations from the First Amazon Picking Challenge
This paper presents a overview of the inaugural Amazon Picking Challenge
along with a summary of a survey conducted among the 26 participating teams.
The challenge goal was to design an autonomous robot to pick items from a
warehouse shelf. This task is currently performed by human workers, and there
is hope that robots can someday help increase efficiency and throughput while
lowering cost. We report on a 28-question survey posed to the teams to learn
about each team's background, mechanism design, perception apparatus, planning
and control approach. We identify trends in this data, correlate it with each
team's success in the competition, and discuss observations and lessons learned
based on survey results and the authors' personal experiences during the
challenge
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