IkeaBot: An autonomous multi-robot coordinated furniture assembly system

We present an automated assembly system that directs the actions of a team of heterogeneous robots in the completion of an assembly task. From an initial user-supplied geometric specification, the system applies reasoning about the geometry of individual parts in order to deduce how they fit togethe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Knepper, Ross A., Layton, Todd, Romanishin, John William, Rus, Daniela L.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/90593
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5473-3566
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6742-7592
Description
Summary:We present an automated assembly system that directs the actions of a team of heterogeneous robots in the completion of an assembly task. From an initial user-supplied geometric specification, the system applies reasoning about the geometry of individual parts in order to deduce how they fit together. The task is then automatically transformed to a symbolic description of the assembly-a sort of blueprint. A symbolic planner generates an assembly sequence that can be executed by a team of collaborating robots. Each robot fulfills one of two roles: parts delivery or parts assembly. The latter are equipped with specialized tools to aid in the assembly process. Additionally, the robots engage in coordinated co-manipulation of large, heavy assemblies. We provide details of an example furniture kit assembled by the system.