System and method for proprioceptive and responsive robotic door opening

A method for proprioceptive and responsive robotic door opening, said method comprising:

• sending instructions from a user interaction device to a robot, said robot comprising a robot base, one or more legs, and at least one robotic arm comprising an arm base, a plurality of arm base actuators, an arm first link, an arm second link, a gripper with gripper jaws, at least one camera, and a wrist comprising a plurality of wrist actuators;
• positioning said gripper in a pre-grasp pose with respect to a door-opening mechanism;
• aligning said robot base and said one or more legs with said door-opening mechanism;
• closing said gripper on said door-opening mechanism;
• confirming, using proprioceptive sensory information collected via said robot, that a grasp of said door-opening mechanism is successful;
• manipulating said door-opening mechanism via controlling the velocity of said gripper along a roll axis;
• setting an impedance of said wrist to minimize moments along a vertical axis;
• selecting a virtual force to be applied by said arm at said gripper according to a virtual spring impedance controller in order to ensure that a position of a door contact point with respect to said robot stays at a controlled distance;
• driving said robot in a direction that matches an opening direction of said door;
• determining a kinematic constraint imposed by a door hinge from gripper position data collected over time;
• planning a path for said gripper to release said door opening mechanism and navigating through a door frame associated with said door;
• and
• maintaining a lateral position of said robot at the center of said door frame with respect to an estimated door hinge location.

A system for proprioceptive and responsive robotic door opening, said system comprising:

• a legged robot comprising a robot base, one or more legs attached to said robot base and configured to locomote, and at least one robot arm, said robot arm comprising an arm base, a plurality of arm base actuators, an arm first link, an arm second link, a plurality of wrist actuators, a gripper, and at least one camera;
• a user interaction device;
• a processor coupled to a memory, said processor configured to send and receive data from said user interaction device and said legged robot, wherein upon receiving a command to execute door-opening instructions, said processor causes said legged robot to:
• position said gripper in a pre-grasp pose with respect to a door-opening mechanism;
• align said robot base and said one or more legs with said door-opening mechanism;
• close said gripper on said door-opening mechanism;
• confirm, using proprioceptive sensory information collected via said robot, that a grasp of said door-opening mechanism is successful;
• manipulate said door-opening mechanism via controlling the velocity of said gripper along a roll axis;
• set an impedance of said wrist to minimize moments along a vertical axis;
• select a virtual force to be applied by said arm at said gripper according to a virtual spring impedance controller in order to ensure that a position of a door contact point with respect to said robot stays at a controlled distance;
• drive said robot in a direction that matches an opening direction of said door;
• determine a kinematic constraint imposed by a door hinge from gripper position data collected over time;
• plan a path for said gripper to release said door opening mechanism and navigate through a door frame associated with said door;
• and
• maintain a lateral position of said robot at the center of said door frame with respect to an estimated door hinge location.