Performing Efficient and Safe Deformable Package Transport Operations Using Suction Cups

Suction cups are popular for picking and transporting packages in warehouse applications. To maximize throughput, high transport speeds are desired. Many packages are deformable and may detach from the suction cups due to inertial loading if trajectories use excessive velocities. This paper introduces a novel methodology that analyzes package deformation through its curvature at the package-suction cup contact interface to generate a Factor-of-Safety (FOS) score for each waypoint in a given trajectory. By maintaining the FOS above a predetermined threshold, the trajectory planner is able to generate transport trajectories that are both safe and time-optimized. Experimental results show the method’s efficacy, demonstrating a 21. 92% reduction in transport times compared to a conservative trajectory generation. Our FOS predictor identified trajectories that ensured safe package transport with 100% accuracy across all 627 real-world experiments.

Authors

• Rishabh Shukla
• Zeren Yu
• Samrudh Moode
• Omey M. Manyar
• Fan Wang
• Siddharth Mayya
• Satyandra K. Gupta

Keywords

• Learning systems
• Deformation
• Trajectory planning
• Loading
• Predictive models
• Throughput
• Trajectory
• Safety
• Manipulator dynamics
• Intelligent robots
• Transportation Safety
• Transport Operators
• Suction Cup
• High Speed
• Trajectory Generation
• Inertial Load
• Critical Point
• Training Phase
• Yield Strength
• Rigid Body
• Nonlinear Dynamics
• Gaussian Process
• Motion Capture
• Oscillation Amplitude
• Quadratic Programming
• Horizontal Components
• Trajectory Optimization
• Axial Load
• Robot Motion
• Joint Velocity
• Safety Threshold
• Deformable Objects
• Goal Position
• Lateral Load
• Sparse Regression
• Heavy Mass
• Vertical Component
• Work Stress