A Framework for Manipulation in Cluttered Environments

We want our robots to work in human environments. However, human environments are cluttered and clutter creates problems for robotic manipulation. We propose to develop a framework for manipulation in highly cluttered environments. We propose to rearrange the environment using prehensile and non-prehensile actions. We present our preliminary work, a framework in which a high-level rearrangement planner utilizes a low-level library of open-loop actions. We propose to extend the capabilities of our existing framework by: (i) Utilizing sensor feedback for the control of low-level actions; (ii) Utilizing feedback at the high-level of rearrangement planning; (iii) Reformulating the planner so that it reasons about the spaces occluded by clutter and plans to move objects to see the space behind them; (iv) Designing new non-prehensile actions that can move multiple objects simultaneously.