The DARPA ARM-S program aimed to develop software to autonomously complete complex manipulation tasks, As a member of the CMU/NREC team for Phase II of the project, I developed the manipulation and perception software necessary to complete tasks including changing a tire and cutting a wire.
One key challenge of the project was in developing techniques to cope with proprioceptive and perceptual uncertainty. We used a variety of techniques, including: visual servoing, real-time markerless arm tracking, touch-based localization, compliant grasping, and hierarchies of motion planners to improve reliability.
The software developed by our team powered a live demo in the Moving Beyond Earth gallery of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Wire Cutting Task
Stack 'n' Smash Exhibit