Introducing robotic origami folding

Abstract-We consider the problem of recognizing the configuration of clothing articles when crudely spread out on a flat surface, prior to and during folding. At the core of our approach are parametrized shape models for clothing articles. Each clothing category has its own shape model, and the variety in shapes for a given category is achieved through variation of the parameters. We present an efficient algorithm to find the parameters that provide the best fit when given an image of a clothing article. The models are such that, once the parameters have been fit, they provide a basic parse of the clothing article, allowing it to be followed by autonomous folding from category level specifications of fold sequences. Our approach is also able to recover the configuration of a clothing article when folds are being introduced-an important feature towards closing the perception-action loop. Additionally, our approach provides a reliable method of shape-based classification, simply by examining which model yields the best fit. Our experiments illustrate the effectiveness of our approach on a large set of clothing articles. Furthermore, we present an end-to-end system, which starts from an unknown spread-out clothing article, performs a parametrized model fit, then follows a category-level (rather than article specific) set of folding instructions, closing the loop with perceptual feedback by re-fitting between folds.

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“…In the more general context of folding, the work of Balkcom and Mason [27] stands out, having developed a robot that can perform origami.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parametrized shape models for clothing

Miller¹,

Fritz²,

Darrell³

et al. 2011

2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

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“…In terms of the angle parameters, closure can be understood intuitively as follows: pick any point on any one crease line, and subject that point to a sequence of rotations about each of the crease lines; then the point's final position should coincide with its original position. Mathematically, this becomes (as in [18]) the equation R(v 0 , φ 0 ) · · · R(v n−1 , φ n−1 )P = P , where P denotes a point on a crease line, v i denotes the directional vector for crease line i, and φ(i) denotes the rotation angle about crease line i (see Fig. 1(b)).…”

Section: Foldable Objects and Prior Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kinematic related issues of foldable objects have been studied in various communities. In robotics, in addition to origami folding [18], sheet-metal and carton box folding (e.g. [20,21,22,23]) have also been studied, mainly from the manipulation planning point of view, sometimes with no loop closure constraints for the folded objects.…”

Section: Foldable Objects and Prior Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simplex-Tree Based Kinematics of Foldable Objects as Multi-body Systems Involving Loops

Han

Rudolph

2008

Robotics: Science and Systems IV

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Abstract-Many practical multi-body systems involve loops. Studying the kinematics of such systems has been challenging, partly because of the requirement of maintaining loop closure constraints, which have conventionally been formulated as highly nonlinear equations in joint parameters. Recently, novel parameters defined by trees of triangles have been introduced for a broad class of linkage systems involving loops (e.g., spatial loops with spherical joints and planar loops with revolute joints); these parameters greatly simplify kinematics related computations and endow system configuration spaces with highly tractable piecewise convex geometries. In this paper, we describe a more general approach for multi-body systems, with loops, that allow construction trees of simplices. We illustrate the applicability and efficiency of our simplex-tree based approach to kinematics by a study of foldable objects. We present two sets of new parameters for single-vertex rigid fold kinematics; like the parameters in the triangle-tree prototype, each has a geometrically meaningful and computationally tractable constraint formulation, and each endows the configuration space with a nice geometry.

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“…But the technology only focused on rectangular cartons not on origami-type cartons which include spherical close chains on vertexes. Balkcom and Mason (Balkcom & Mason, 2004 investigated closed chain folding of origami and developed a machine designed to allow a 4DOF Adept SCARA robot arm to make simple folds. However for complex cartons including multi-closed chains the flexibility and reconfigurability of this method are limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%