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| Dexterous Robot Manipulation of Deformable Objects with Visual and Tactile Feedback | |||||||
| Participants Félix Nadon Ph.D. student, 2020-... M.A.Sc. student, 2018-2019 Stephen Rowlands M.A.Sc. student 2019-... Narmadha Sambandam M.A.Sc. student 2019-... Angel J. Valencia M.A.Sc. student 2018-2020 Fei Hui M.A.Sc. student 2013-2017 Jonathan Guillotte-Blouin UROP internship 2016 Fouad Khalil Ph.D. student 2005-2012 Nicolas Robin Summer internship 2008 Dr. Pierre Payeur EECS, University of Ottawa Collaborators Dr. Ana-Maria Cretu Université du Québec en Outaouais Dr. Emil Petriu EECS, University of Ottawa  Ontario Centres of Excellence  Neptec Design Group  Canadian Foundation for Innovation  Ontario Innovation Trust |
Modern robotic systems used in industrial, security and space applications require a new generation of autonomous
robot manipulators able to perform intelligently on sophisticated manipulation tasks in environments which may be
unknown, variable or unstructured. Much research efforts have been devoted to the development of robots that can
sense and react to their environment and to the type of object to be handled. Human experience with objects
manipulation provides evidence of the powerful capabilities that can be made available by the combination of
vision and touch. However, autonomous manipulators still need to be developed to produce similar coordination between
these sensory systems to work efficiently in unknown environments and to adapt to unpredicted modifications. Until now, the vast majority of objects to be manipulated by robots have been assumed to be rigid. The problem of grasping and manipulating 3D deformable objects with a robotic arm and end effector has received much less attention. But in reality, numerous objects are of the latter type, that is, compliant and with alterable shapes. Handling such objects represents a challenging area of research because of the complexity of the interactions that happen between the robot and the object surface which undergoes deformations in response to forces applied by the manipulator. Applications for the manipulation of non-rigid objects range from advanced manufacturing, food processing, agriculture and even medicine. Simultaneously ensuring the stability of a grasp and the integrity of an object, while undergoing robotic manipulation, represents a major challenge, that must capitalize on multiple sensory inputs, optimize contact points distribution and forces application, all within the constraints imposed by the mechanical assembly of a robotic hand and while operating in a given, often challenging, environment. This research investigates fundamental engineering and computer science solutions to achieve safe, efficient and precise robotic manipulation strategies, encompassing data acquisition, modeling, material characterization, deformation prediction, manipulation optimization, and robotic devices control.
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