Autonomous design of functional structures

Abstract

We present an algorithm that enables a humanoid robot to reason about its environment and use the available objects to build bridges, stairs and lever-fulcrum systems. Facing a challenge that is otherwise intractable, such as climbing a height or moving a heavy object, the proposed planner reasons about the physical limitations of the robot to design functional structures. Inducing constraints on the space of possible designs within a classical planning framework, the algorithm outputs feasible structures that can be used towards accomplishing goals. We present results in dynamic simulation with Golem Hubo, walking on a bridge to cross a hazardous area, and in real-world with Golem Krang, overturning 100 kg loads and pushing 240 kg obstacles.