Knowledge Representations for Planning Manipulation Tasks

The author presents the capability map, a new general representation of what a robot arm can reach. It shows how well each region of the workspace can be reached by the end effector, and at which orientations. The map is designed to be processed by software while also being easy for people to view and interpret.

According to the book, the map and its algorithms can inform planning at both high and low levels. Three application areas illustrate its flexibility. In human-robot interaction, a two-handed interface for remote operation is assessed objectively. In low-level geometric planning, the method produces more human-like motion for a humanoid robot and reduces computation time. In high-level task reasoning, the map is used to judge how suitable a robot is for a given task.