[mod.ai] Seminar - Planning Robotic Manipulation Strategies

tim@LINC.CIS.UPENN.EDU.UUCP (02/23/87)

		   Computer and Information Science
		      University of Pennsylvania
			  307 Towne Building
		       10:30 February 25, 1987


               Planning Robotic Manipulation Strategies

                         Michael A. Peshkin
                     Carnegie Mellon University

    Automated planning of grasping or manipulation requires an understanding
of the physics and the geometry of objects in contact.  Sliding figures
prominently, but since the pressure distribution between the surfaces in 
contact is unknown, deterministic solution for the motion is impossible.
I have found the locus of motions over all distributions.  Strategies based
on these results succeed despite unknown pressure distribution.

   We also desire strategies which succeed despite uncertain initial position
of a workpiece.  Configuration maps are introduced, mapping all configurations 
of a part before an elementary operation onto all possible outcomes.  Products 
of configuration maps are used to synthesize complex strategies which succeed 
for a wide range of initial positions of the workpiece.