Thermal Image Grasp Affordance Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots face challenges in determining appropriate grasping locations for objects due to the time-consuming and inaccurate nature of existing methods, such as hand-labeled image training for convolutional neural networks and computationally slow 3D model approaches.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a thermographic camera to capture thermal images before and after human manipulation, generating a grasp affordance based on temperature differences to define portions of the object touched by humans, which can be used by robots to determine grasping parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hand-labeled color images are used to train convolutional neural networks for grasp determination, then the system can learn from labeled data, but the process becomes time-consuming and computationally slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of hand-labeling images with a thermal imaging-based automatic labeling system. Humans manipulate objects while wearing thermal gloves, and the thermal camera captures heat transfer patterns that automatically indicate grasp locations, eliminating the need for manual annotation while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter space from visible light images to thermal images. By capturing temperature distributions instead of color information, the system obtains intrinsic physical properties that directly reveal grasp locations through heat transfer, fundamentally altering how grasp information is acquired and processed.
2Reliability
If brute force approaches are applied to 3D models to determine grasps, then all possible grasps can be evaluated, but the computation becomes slow and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by having humans manipulate objects to leave thermal signatures before the robot attempts grasping. This pre-marking of valid grasp locations through heat transfer eliminates the need for exhaustive computational search, as the thermal images already highlight the correct grasp points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal energy as an intermediary between human knowledge and robot execution. The thermal gloves and thermal camera create a physical medium that transfers and captures grasp information, serving as a bridge that converts human manipulation expertise into machine-readable thermal patterns.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for accurate and efficient determination of grasping parameters, reducing computational complexity and enabling robots to grasp objects more effectively by leveraging transient heat signatures left by human interaction.
Implementation Method 1
a thermographic camera to capture at least one thermal image of the object
Implementation Method 2
Humans are often warmer than various environmental objects and may leave a transient heat signature on objects they manipulate
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus, and computer readable storage media related to utilizing a thermographic camera to capture at least one thermal image of an object following human manipulation of the object, and generating a grasp affordance for the object based on the temperatures indicated by the captured thermal image. The generated grasp affordance may be utilized, directly or indirectly, by one or more robots for determining grasping parameters for manipulating the object and/or other objects that are similar to the object.