Real-time behaviour synthesis for dynamic Hand-Manipulation
From Vikash Kumar at University of Washington:
Dexterous hand manipulation is one of the most complex types of biological movement, and has proven very difficult to replicate in robots. The usual approaches to robotic control - following pre-defined trajectories or planning online with reduced models - are both inapplicable. Dexterous manipulation is so sensitive to small variations in contact force and object location that it seems to require online planning without any simplifications. Here we demonstrate for the first time online planning (or model-predictive control) with a full physics model of a humanoid hand, with 28 degrees of freedom and 48 pneumatic actuators. We augment the actuation space with motor synergies which speed up optimization without removing flexibility. Most of our results are in simulation, showing nonprehensile object manipulation as well as typing. In both cases the input to the system is a high level task description, while all details of the hand movement emerge online from fully automated numerical optimization. We also show preliminary results on a hardware platform we have developed "ADROIT" - a ShadowHand skeleton equipped with faster and more compliant actuation... (website)
Records 1 to 1 of 1
Featured Product
Onward Robotics - Meet Me Fulfillment Automation
Meet Me uniquely brings talent and technology together: providing end-to-end process efficiency and enabling accurate and continuous fulfillment workflows. Proprietary Pyxis technology uniquely orchestrates picker and Lumabot AMR workflows independently, delivering fast, accurate, and efficient fulfillment from induction to pack out. Learn more about Meet Me Automation: Download Overview Brochure
Robotics and Automation - Featured Company
Palladyne AI Corp.
Welcome to Palladyne AI, where we unleash the power of robotics with our revolutionary AI software platform for the physical world. In a world where robots are progressing toward human-like adaptability, seamlessly navigating dynamic environments and conquering complex tasks with unparalleled efficiency, Palladyne AI stands as the beacon of innovation toward that future reality. Through our cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) software platform, we are redefining the boundaries of robotics. Our goal is simple: Help companies with autonomy in their robotics operations by addressing key challenges of traditional robotic deployments.

