Implementing adaptive robotic behavior with real-time intent estimation

A method for adaptive robotic interaction, comprising:

• predicting, by one or more processors of a robotic system and prior to execution of a robot action, at least one of an expected human behavior or an expected environmental change associated with a future execution of the robot action, the predicting being performed using a belief-space representation of the human or environment;
• initiating partial execution of the robot action by the robotic system;
• sensing, during the partial execution of the robot action, at least one of an observed human behavior or an observed environmental change using one or more sensors of the robotic system;
• inferring, by the one or more processors, an alignment between the predicted human behavior or environmental change and the sensed human behavior or environmental change;
• determining, based on the inferred alignment, whether a confidence condition associated with the robot action is satisfied;
• and
• performing at least one of:
• continuing execution of the robot action, based on determining that the confidence condition is satisfied;
• or
• adapting the robot action by modifying at least one of a motion trajectory, timing, force, orientation, communication, or execution sequence of the robot action based on determining that the confidence condition is not satisfied.

A non-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored instructions that when executed cause a programmable device to:

• predicting, by one or more processors of a robotic system and prior to execution of a robot action, at least one of an expected human behavior or an expected environmental change associated with a future execution of the robot action, the predicting being performed using a belief-space representation of the human or environment;
• initiating partial execution of the robot action by the robotic system;
• sensing, during the partial execution of the robot action, at least one of an observed human behavior or an observed environmental change using one or more sensors of the robotic system;
• inferring, by the one or more processors, an alignment between the predicted human behavior or environmental change and the sensed human behavior or environmental change;
• determining, based on the inferred alignment, whether a confidence condition associated with the robot action is satisfied;
• and
• performing at least one of:
• continuing execution of the robot action, based on determining that the confidence condition is satisfied;
• or
• adapting the robot action by modifying at least one of a motion trajectory, timing, force, orientation, communication, or execution sequence of the robot action based on determining that the confidence condition is not satisfied.