Bayesian Grasping

Abstract

A Bayesian approach to the problem of autonomous manipulation in the presence of state uncertainty is described. Uncertainty is modeled with a probability distribution on the state space. Each plan (sequence of actions) defines a mapping on the state space and hence a posterior probability distribution. An attempt is made to find a plan for optimizing expected performance. The Bayesian framework is applied to a grasping problem. A planar polygon whose initial orientation is described by a uniform distribution and a frictionless parallel-jaw gripper is assumed in order to plan automatically a sequence of open-loop squeezing operations to reduce orientational uncertainty and grasp the object. Although many different performance measures are possible depending on the application, the approach is illustrated by searching for plans that optimize the robot's expected throughput.