ABSTRACT:
This talk will present the exact optimal trajectories for a class of mobile robot, movies of the first origami-folding robot, instructions on how to fold paper grocery bags, and, time permitting, algorithms that allow robust assembly even without sensors. The models are simple, many of the results are geometric, and the talk should be accessible to a general audience.
The unifying theme of these projects is a focus on the interface between robots and the physical world. This focus can enable good engineering -- for example, factory assembly tools and techniques that are robust in spite of known model or sensor error. Task models also allow study of fundamental scientific questions. How difficult is a physical task, in terms of required resources such as time, degrees of freedom, energy, and computation? What are the limits of human and robotic locomotion and manipulation skills? When is an imperfect model of a task good enough?
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