Object manipulation is a complex task for robots. It often implies a compromise between the degrees-of-freedom of hand and its fingers have (dexterity) and its cost and complexity in terms of control. One strategy to increase the dexterity of robotic hands with low dexterity is called extrinsic manipulation and its principle is to exploit additional accelerations on the object caused by the eff...

Programmable vector elds are an abstraction to represent a new class of devices for distributed, non-prehensile manipulation for applications in parts feeding, sorting, positioning, and assembly. Unlike robot grippers, conveyor belts, or vibratory bowl feeders, these devices generate force vector elds in which the parts move until they may reach a stable equilibrium pose. Recent research in the...

Simultaneous externalization of design alternatives through multiple prototypes enables designers to see choices in context and facilitates comparative reasoning and discussion. This paper introduces two techniques for interactively manipulating multiple software alternatives. First, this work demonstrates a novel environment for constructing multiple design alternatives through (selectively) p...

Non-prehensile manipulation, such as pushing, is an important function for robots to move objects and is sometimes preferred as an alternative to grasping. However, due to unknown frictional forces, pushing has been proven a difficult task for robots. We explore the use of reinforcement learning to train a robot to robustly push an object. In order to deal with the sample complexity of training...

Programmable vector elds are an abstraction to represent a new class of devices for distributed, non-prehensile manipulation for applications in parts feeding, sorting, positioning, and assembly. Unlike robot grippers, conveyor belts, or vibratory bowl feeders, these devices generate force vector elds in which the parts move until they may reach a stable equilibrium pose. Recent research in the...

Programmable force elds are an abstraction to represent a new class of devices for distributed non prehensile manipulation for applications in parts feeding sorting positioning and assembly Unlike robot grippers conveyor belts or vibratory bowl feeders these devices generate force vector elds in which the parts move until they may reach a stable equilibrium pose Recent research in the theory of...

Seahorses and pipehorses evolved at least two independent strategies for tail grasping, despite being armored with a heavy body plating. To help explain mechanical trade-offs associated with the different designs, we created a "family" of 3D-printed models that mimic variations in the presence and size of their armored plates. We measured the performance of the biomimetic proxies across seven m...