Positioning a Robot Sensor for Object Classification

A robot comprising:

• a first sensor;
• a second sensor;
• and
• a control system configured to:
• receive, from the first sensor, first sensor data indicative of an environment of the robot;
• identify, based on the first sensor data, an object of an object type in the environment of the robot, wherein the object type is associated with a classifier that takes sensor data from a predetermined pose relative to the object as input;
• cause the robot to position the second sensor at the predetermined pose relative to the object;
• receive, from the second sensor, second sensor data indicative of the object while the second sensor is positioned at the predetermined pose relative to the object;
• and
• determine, by inputting the second sensor data into the classifier, a property of the object.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

• receiving, from a first sensor on a robot, first sensor data indicative of an environment of the robot;
• identifying, based on the first sensor data, an object of an object type in the environment of the robot, wherein the object type is associated with a classifier that takes sensor data from a predetermined pose relative to the object as input;
• causing the robot to position a second sensor on the robot at the predetermined pose relative to the object;
• receiving, from the second sensor, second sensor data indicative of the object while the second sensor is positioned at the predetermined pose relative to the object;
• and
• determining, by inputting the second sensor data into the classifier, a property of the object.