The industrial landscape continuously evolves by prioritizing reconfigurability towards addressing the ever-increasing market demands for personalized products. Robotics can emerge as a pivotal enabler through the embodiment of intelligent resources ready to produce new products in a repeatable and efficient manner.
Through the years dual-arm robots have supported the automation of sophisticated manufacturing operations where bimanual handling was necessary. However, proficient, and synchronized control of multiple arms always highlighted the necessity of advances in cooperative robotics. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in motion planning further propels the capabilities of these robots, allowing them to execute tasks with enhanced dexterity, adaptability, and efficiency. This blog post delves into the fascinating world of robotic manipulation, exploring how AI-driven motion planning is revolutionizing the way dual-arm robots interact with their environment.
Dual-arm robots, with their ability to manipulate objects in a more human-like manner, have opened up new possibilities in fields such as manufacturing, services, and research. The two arms, working in tandem, can perform complex tasks like assembly, disassembly, and handling of delicate objects. However, the complexity of coordinating two arms, presents a unique set of challenges in motion planning and control.
Within SMARTHANDLE, the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS), among other enabling technologies, will extend its recent advances in dual arm manipulation with AI-driven motion planning techniques. The developed motion planners will allow robots to learn, adapt, and optimize their actions for the bimanual manipulation of known and unknown objects. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, robots can understand and predict the physical properties and dynamics of objects, facilitating more nuanced and adaptable manipulations. The capabilities of the envisioned planner will be validated through a scenario derived from the metal industry, where diverse, complex and long objects will delicately be manipulated towards efficient and defect free packaging.
The author of this piece is LMS.