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Nonprehensile MobileManipulation |
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In this project, we are putting very simple manipulators on mobile
robots. The goal is to create a system of multiple robots that can
cooperatively carry out a variety of different manipulation tasks.
The manipulators we are using are "nonprehensile," i.e. nongrasping. One manipulator we have built is a "palm manipulator." This consists of a flat plate which the robot can raise/lower and tilt. It can be difficult or impossible for the robot with this manipulator to pick things up on its own. Therefore, it must cooperate with other robots to execute its task. The accompanying images show a robot with a palm manipulator holding up one end of a box that it is carrying.
The research questions we are studying are how to have each robot be autonomous (i.e. decide for itself what actions to take), yet still produce cooperative behavior in a group of robots. Part of the answer to this question is that each robot must understand its role in the task. Another aspect of this problem is giving each robot an understanding of the physics behind using its manipulator --- for example, it must know how much it can tilt its palm before the object starts to slide off! This work is supported by the National Science Foundation through award 9983642. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. |
