Robotics Research and Perspectives

An overview of research being conducted by Gary McMurray, GTRI Division Chief and Associate Director of GT IRIM as part of the SCL Interdisciplinary Research Center seminar series.

Robotic systems have been very successful in performing tasks where the inputs are well defined and known in advance. Automotive and electronic manufacturing are the classic success stories where robotic systems have demonstrated incredible value for the industry. In unstructured manufacturing, the inputs of the system can vary significantly, but the outputs of the system are defined. Food and agriculture production are examples of this type of unstructured manufacturing problem, but traditional manufacturing is also moving in this direction as robotics move beyond welding and painting. This presentation will give examples of systems that integrate advanced perception and control technologies into robotic systems to perform complex tasks like cutting, grasping, and manipulation of objects in an unstructured environment.