Manipulating fracturable and deformable materials using articulated manipulators
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsDavid M. S. Johnson, Syler Wagner, Steven Lines, Mitchell Hebert
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Abstract
In an embodiment, a method and system use various sensors to determine a shape of a collection of materials (e.g., foodstuffs). A controller can determine a trajectory which achieves the desired end-state, possibly chosen from a set of feasible, collision-free trajectories to execute, and a robot executes that trajectory. The robot, executing that trajectory, scoops, grabs, or otherwise acquires the desired amount of material from the collection of materials at a desired location. The robot then deposits the collected material in the desired receptacle at a specific location and orientation.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- determining a set of trajectories for an articulated robot arm that collect an amount of deformable or fracturable material from a collection of deformable or fracturable materials, at least one sensor system of a machine having the articulated robot arm observing and generating a representation of the collection of deformable or fracturable material, determining the set of trajectories by calculating a path through the representation of the collection of materials based on (a) a volume of intersection or an estimate of the volume of the intersection between the end-effector and the deformable or fracturable material and (b) at least one physical reaction of the deformable or fracturable material with the end-effector, the robot arm being configured to move an end-effector able to manipulate the collection of materials;
- selecting a given trajectory of the trajectories based on at least one criterion;
- and
- sending the given trajectory to the machine configured to move the end-effector, causing the machine to execute the trajectory using measurements of the at least one sensor system to navigate the environment.
A system comprising:
- an end-effector;
- an articulated robot arm;
- a machine having the articulated robot arm, wherein the robot arm is configured to move the end-effector able to manipulate the collection of materials;
- a processor;
- and
- a memory with computer code instructions stored thereon, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions, being configured to cause the system to:
- determine a set of trajectories for an articulated robot arm that collect an amount of deformable or fracturable material deformable or fracturable from a collection of material, at least one sensor system of a machine having the articulated robot arm observing and generating a representation of the collection of deformable or fracturable material, determining the set of trajectories by calculating a path through the representation of the collection of materials based on (a) a volume of intersection or an estimate of the volume of the intersection between the end-effector and the deformable or fracturable material and (b) at least one physical reaction of the deformable or fracturable material with the end-effector, the robot arm being configured to move an end-effector able to manipulate the collection of materials;
- select a given trajectory of the trajectories based on at least one criterion;
- and
- send the given trajectory to the machine configured to move the articulated robot arm and the end-effector, causing the machine to execute the trajectory using measurements of the at least one sensor system to navigate the environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.