Automated Synthesis and Optimization of Robot Configurations

Abstract

We present an extensible system for synthesizing and optimizing robot configurations. The system uses a flexible representation for robot configurations based on parameterized modules; this allows us to synthesize mobile and fixed-base robots, including robots with multiple or branching manipulators and free-flying robots. Synthesis of modular robots is also possible with our representation. We use an optimization algorithm based on genetic programming. A distributed architecture is used to spread heavy computational loads across multiple workstations. We take a task-oriented approach to synthesis in which robots are evaluated on a designer-specified task in simulation; flexible planning and control algorithms are thus required so that a wide variety of robots can be evaluated. Our system's extensibility stems from an object-oriented software architecture that allows new modules, metrics, controllers, and tasks to be easily added. We present two example synthesis tasks: synthesis of a robotic material handler, and synthesis of an antenna pointing system for a mobile robot. We analyze several key issues raised by the experiments and show several important ways in which the system can be extended and improved.