Multi-Task Domain Adaptation for Deep Learning of Instance Grasping from Simulation

Learning-based approaches to robotic manipulation are limited by the scalability of data collection and accessibility of labels. In this paper, we present a multi-task domain adaptation framework for instance grasping in cluttered scenes by utilizing simulated robot experiments. Our neural network takes monocular RGB images and the instance segmentation mask of a specified target object as inputs, and predicts the probability of successfully grasping the specified object for each candidate motor command. The proposed transfer learning framework trains a model for instance grasping in simulation and uses a domain-adversarial loss to transfer the trained model to real robots using indiscriminate grasping data, which is available both in simulation and the real world. We evaluate our model in real-world robot experiments, comparing it with alternative model architectures as well as an indiscriminate grasping baseline.Comment: ICRA 201

La réception de Victor Segalen en Chine

Malgré la profusion d’études consacrées, ces dernières années, à Victor Segalen (1878-1919) – médecin, archéologue, romancier et poète français surtout connu pour ses écrits d'inspiration chinoise et sa théorie du « Divers », rares sont les chercheurs occidentaux qui se sont intéressés à la réception de son œuvre en Chine. Se concentrant sur les dernières recherches menées par les spécialistes chinois de l'auteur de Stèles, cette lecture critique tâchera de montrer que Segalen doit son indéniable succès en Chine non seulement à la valeur intrinsèque de ses productions littéraires, mais aussi à des considérations idéologiques qui concourent à faire de lui le « meilleur » représentant d’une « sinophilie » savante

The Reception of Victor Segalen in China

The French doctor, archaeologist, novelist, and poet Victor Segalen (1878-1919) was known above all for his works inspired by China and his theory of the “Diverse.” Despite the numerous studies devoted to him in recent years, very few Western researchers have taken any interest in the reception of his work in China. By focusing critically on the latest research by Chinese specialists on the author of Stèles, this review essay will attempt to show that Segalen owes his undeniable success in China not only to the intrinsic worth of his literary output, but also to ideological considerations that combine to make him the “best” representative of learned “Sinophilia.

Surface superconductor-insulator transition induced by an electric field

It is well-known that the electric field can induce phase transitions between superconducting, metallic and insulating states in thin-film materials due to its control of the charge carrier density. Since a similar effect on the charge carriers can also be expected for surfaces of bulk samples, here we investigate the transformation of the surface states in a superconductor under an applied screened electric field. Our study is performed by numerically solving the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations for the one-dimensional attractive Hubbard model. It is found that the surface insulating regime occurs at sufficiently large (but still experimentally accessible) electric fields. Our calculations yield the phase diagram of the surface superconducting, metallic, and insulating states for a wide range of temperatures and applied fields. Our results are in qualitative agreement with the phase diagram obtained by the transport measurements for (Li, Fe)OHFeSe thin flakes [Sci. Bull. 64, 653 (2019); ACS Nano 14, 7513 (2020)].Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure