Related papers: Object Reconfiguration with Simulation-Derived Fea…
Robotic manipulation relies on analytical or learned models to simulate the system dynamics. These models are often inaccurate and based on offline information, so that the robot planner is unable to cope with mismatches between the…
Accurate deformable object manipulation (DOM) is essential for achieving autonomy in robotic surgery, where soft tissues are being displaced, stretched, and dissected. Many DOM methods can be powered by simulation, which ensures realistic…
The deployment of robots within realistic environments requires the capability to plan and refine the loco-manipulation trajectories on the fly to avoid unexpected interactions with a dynamic environment. This extended abstract provides a…
Most object manipulation strategies for robots are based on the assumption that the object is rigid (i.e., with fixed geometry) and the goal's details have been fully specified (e.g., the exact target pose). However, there are many tasks…
We tackle the Online 3D Bin Packing Problem, a challenging yet practically useful variant of the classical Bin Packing Problem. In this problem, the items are delivered to the agent without informing the full sequence information. Agent…
Image based reconstruction of urban environments is a challenging problem that deals with optimization of large number of variables, and has several sources of errors like the presence of dynamic objects. Since most large scale approaches…
This work addresses the problem of recovering complete, simulatable object geometry from reconstructed real-world scenes, enabling physics-based interaction with objects embedded in the scene. While modern multi-view reconstruction methods…
Non-prehensile pushing to move and reorient objects to a goal is a versatile loco-manipulation skill. In the real world, the object's physical properties and friction with the floor contain significant uncertainties, which makes the task…
The exchange of information is key in applications that involve multiple agents, such as search and rescue, military operations, and disaster response. In this work, we propose a simple and effective trajectory planning framework that…
The large demand for simulated data has made the reality gap a problem on the forefront of robotics. We propose a method to traverse the gap by tuning available simulation parameters. Through the optimisation of physics engine parameters,…
We examine a variety of numerical methods that arise when considering dynamical systems in the context of physics-based simulations of deformable objects. Such problems arise in various applications, including animation, robotics, control…
Many of today's robot perception systems aim at accomplishing perception tasks that are too simplistic and too hard. They are too simplistic because they do not require the perception systems to provide all the information needed to…
We present an approach for the planar surface reconstruction of a scene from images with limited overlap. This reconstruction task is challenging since it requires jointly reasoning about single image 3D reconstruction, correspondence…
Modern cyber-physical systems (e.g., robotics systems) are typically composed of physical and software components, the characteristics of which are likely to change over time. Assumptions about parts of the system made at design time may…
The ability to solve motion-planning queries within a fixed time budget is critical for deploying robotic systems in time-sensitive applications. Semi-static environments, where most of the workspace remains fixed while a subset of…
Simple as it seems, moving an object to another location within an image is, in fact, a challenging image-editing task that requires re-harmonizing the lighting, adjusting the pose based on perspective, accurately filling occluded regions,…
Object rearrangement is a widely-applicable and challenging task for robots. Geometric constraints must be carefully examined to avoid collisions and combinatorial issues arise as the number of objects increases. This work studies the…
Object placement is a fundamental task for robots, yet it remains challenging for partially observed objects. Existing methods for object placement have limitations, such as the requirement for a complete 3D model of the object or the…
The emergence of vision catalysed a pivotal evolutionary advancement, enabling organisms not only to perceive but also to interact intelligently with their environment. This transformation is mirrored by the evolution of robotic systems,…
This thesis is concerned with deriving planning algorithms for robot manipulators. Manipulation has two effects, the robot has a physical effect on the object, and it also acquires information about the object. This thesis presents…