OpenRaiser/Intern-Atlas huggingface dataset:
Learning Quickly to Plan Quickly Using Modular Meta-Learning
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Multi-object manipulation problems in continuous state and action spaces can be solved by planners that search over sampled values for the continuous parameters of operators. The efficiency of these planners depends critically on the effectiveness of the samplers used, but effective sampling in turn depends on details of the robot, environment, and task. Our strategy is to learn functions called "specializers" that generate values for continuous operator parameters, given a state description and values for the discrete parameters. Rather than trying to learn a single specializer for each operator from large amounts of data on a single task, we take a modular meta-learning approach. We train on multiple tasks and learn a variety of specializers that, on a new task, can be quickly adapted using relatively little data -- thus, our system "learns quickly to plan quickly" using these specializers. We validate our approach experimentally in simulated 3D pick-and-place tasks with continuous state and action spaces. Visit http://tinyurl.com/chitnis-icra-19 for a supplementary video.
Real-Time Dense Mapping for Self-Driving Vehicles using Fisheye Cameras
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

We present a real-time dense geometric mapping algorithm for large-scale environments. Unlike existing methods which use pinhole cameras, our implementation is based on fisheye cameras which have larger field of view and benefit some other tasks including Visual-Inertial Odometry, localization and object detection around vehicles. Our algorithm runs on in-vehicle PCs at 15 Hz approximately, enabling vision-only 3D scene perception for self-driving vehicles. For each synchronized set of images captured by multiple cameras, we first compute a depth map for a reference camera using plane-sweeping stereo. To maintain both accuracy and efficiency, while accounting for the fact that fisheye images have a rather low resolution, we recover the depths using multiple image resolutions. We adopt the fast object detection framework YOLOv3 to remove potentially dynamic objects. At the end of the pipeline, we fuse the fisheye depth images into the truncated signed distance function (TSDF) volume to obtain a 3D map. We evaluate our method on large-scale urban datasets, and results show that our method works well even in complex environments.
Uncertainty-Aware Data Aggregation for Deep Imitation Learning
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Estimating statistical uncertainties allows autonomous agents to communicate their confidence during task execution and is important for applications in safety-critical domains such as autonomous driving. In this work, we present the uncertainty-aware imitation learning (UAIL) algorithm for improving end-to-end control systems via data aggregation. UAIL applies Monte Carlo Dropout to estimate uncertainty in the control output of end-to-end systems, using states where it is uncertain to selectively acquire new training data. In contrast to prior data aggregation algorithms that force human experts to visit sub-optimal states at random, UAIL can anticipate its own mistakes and switch control to the expert in order to prevent visiting a series of sub-optimal states. Our experimental results from simulated driving tasks demonstrate that our proposed uncertainty estimation method can be leveraged to reliably predict infractions. Our analysis shows that UAIL outperforms existing data aggregation algorithms on a series of benchmark tasks.
Multimodal Trajectory Predictions for Autonomous Driving using Deep Convolutional Networks
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Autonomous driving presents one of the largest problems that the robotics and artificial intelligence communities are facing at the moment, both in terms of difficulty and potential societal impact. Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are expected to prevent road accidents and save millions of lives while improving the livelihood and life quality of many more. However, despite large interest and a number of industry players working in the autonomous domain, there still remains more to be done in order to develop a system capable of operating at a level comparable to best human drivers. One reason for this is high uncertainty of traffic behavior and large number of situations that an SDV may encounter on the roads, making it very difficult to create a fully generalizable system. To ensure safe and efficient operations, an autonomous vehicle is required to account for this uncertainty and to anticipate a multitude of possible behaviors of traffic actors in its surrounding. We address this critical problem and present a method to predict multiple possible trajectories of actors while also estimating their probabilities. The method encodes each actor's surrounding context into a raster image, used as input by deep convolutional networks to automatically derive relevant features for the task. Following extensive offline evaluation and comparison to state-of-the-art baselines, the method was successfully tested on SDVs in closed-course tests.
Mechanical Search: Multi-Step Retrieval of a Target Object Occluded by Clutter
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

When operating in unstructured environments such as warehouses, homes, and retail centers, robots are frequently required to interactively search for and retrieve specific objects from cluttered bins, shelves, or tables. Mechanical Search describes the class of tasks where the goal is to locate and extract a known target object. In this paper, we formalize Mechanical Search and study a version where distractor objects are heaped over the target object in a bin. The robot uses an RGBD perception system and control policies to iteratively select, parameterize, and perform one of 3 actions -- push, suction, grasp -- until the target object is extracted, or either a time limit is exceeded, or no high confidence push or grasp is available. We present a study of 5 algorithmic policies for mechanical search, with 15,000 simulated trials and 300 physical trials for heaps ranging from 10 to 20 objects. Results suggest that success can be achieved in this long-horizon task with algorithmic policies in over 95% of instances and that the number of actions required scales approximately linearly with the size of the heap. Code and supplementary material can be found at http://ai.stanford.edu/mech-search .
Segmenting Unknown 3D Objects from Real Depth Images using Mask R-CNN Trained on Synthetic Data
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

The ability to segment unknown objects in depth images has potential to enhance robot skills in grasping and object tracking. Recent computer vision research has demonstrated that Mask R-CNN can be trained to segment specific categories of objects in RGB images when massive hand-labeled datasets are available. As generating these datasets is time consuming, we instead train with synthetic depth images. Many robots now use depth sensors, and recent results suggest training on synthetic depth data can transfer successfully to the real world. We present a method for automated dataset generation and rapidly generate a synthetic training dataset of 50,000 depth images and 320,000 object masks using simulated heaps of 3D CAD models. We train a variant of Mask R-CNN with domain randomization on the generated dataset to perform category-agnostic instance segmentation without any hand-labeled data and we evaluate the trained network, which we refer to as Synthetic Depth (SD) Mask R-CNN, on a set of real, high-resolution depth images of challenging, densely-cluttered bins containing objects with highly-varied geometry. SD Mask R-CNN outperforms point cloud clustering baselines by an absolute 15% in Average Precision and 20% in Average Recall on COCO benchmarks, and achieves performance levels similar to a Mask R-CNN trained on a massive, hand-labeled RGB dataset and fine-tuned on real images from the experimental setup. We deploy the model in an instance-specific grasping pipeline to demonstrate its usefulness in a robotics application. Code, the synthetic training dataset, and supplementary material are available at https://bit.ly/2letCuE.
RoboCSE: Robot Common Sense Embedding
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Autonomous service robots require computational frameworks that allow them to generalize knowledge to new situations in a manner that models uncertainty while scaling to real-world problem sizes. The Robot Common Sense Embedding (RoboCSE) showcases a class of computational frameworks, multi-relational embeddings, that have not been leveraged in robotics to model semantic knowledge. We validate RoboCSE on a realistic home environment simulator (AI2Thor) to measure how well it generalizes learned knowledge about object affordances, locations, and materials. Our experiments show that RoboCSE can perform prediction better than a baseline that uses pre-trained embeddings, such as Word2Vec, achieving statistically significant improvements while using orders of magnitude less memory than our Bayesian Logic Network baseline. In addition, we show that predictions made by RoboCSE are robust to significant reductions in data available for training as well as domain transfer to MatterPort3D, achieving statistically significant improvements over a baseline that memorizes training data.
Online Object and Task Learning via Human Robot Interaction
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

This work describes the development of a robotic system that acquires knowledge incrementally through human interaction where new tools and motions are taught on the fly. The robotic system developed was one of the five finalists in the KUKA Innovation Award competition and demonstrated during the Hanover Messe 2018 in Germany. The main contributions of the system are a) a novel incremental object learning module - a deep learning based localization and recognition system - that allows a human to teach new objects to the robot, b) an intuitive user interface for specifying 3D motion task associated with the new object, c) a hybrid force-vision control module for performing compliant motion on an unstructured surface. This paper describes the implementation and integration of the main modules of the system and summarizes the lessons learned from the competition.
Fast and In Sync: Periodic Swarm Patterns for Quadrotors
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

This paper aims to design quadrotor swarm performances, where the swarm acts as an integrated, coordinated unit embodying moving and deforming objects. We divide the task of creating a choreography into three basic steps: designing swarm motion primitives, transitioning between those movements, and synchronizing the motion of the drones. The result is a flexible framework for designing choreographies comprised of a wide variety of motions. The motion primitives can be intuitively designed using few parameters, providing a rich library for choreography design. Moreover, we combine and adapt existing goal assignment and trajectory generation algorithms to maximize the smoothness of the transitions between motion primitives. Finally, we propose a correction algorithm to compensate for motion delays and synchronize the motion of the drones to a desired periodic motion pattern. The proposed methodology was validated experimentally by generating and executing choreographies on a swarm of 25 quadrotors.
Imitating Human Search Strategies for Assembly
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

We present a Learning from Demonstration method for teaching robots to perform search strategies imitated from humans in scenarios where alignment tasks fail due to position uncertainty. The method utilizes human demonstrations to learn both a state invariant dynamics model and an exploration distribution that captures the search area covered by the demonstrator. We present two alternative algorithms for computing a search trajectory from the exploration distribution, one based on sampling and another based on deterministic ergodic control. We augment the search trajectory with forces learnt through the dynamics model to enable searching both in force and position domains. An impedance controller with superposed forces is used for reproducing the learnt strategy. We experimentally evaluate the method on a KUKA LWR4+ performing a 2D peg-in-hole and a 3D electricity socket task. Results show that the proposed method can, with only few human demonstrations, learn to complete the search task.
Asynchronous Network Formation in Unknown Unbounded Environments
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

In this paper, we study the Online Network Formation Problem (ONFP) for a mobile multi-robot system. Consider a group of robots with a bounded communication range operating in a large open area. One of the robots has a piece of information which has to be propagated to all other robots. What strategy should the robots pursue to disseminate the information to the rest of the robots as quickly as possible? The initial locations of the robots are unknown to each other, therefore the problem must be solved in an online fashion. For this problem, we present an algorithm whose competitive ratio is $O(H \cdot \max\{M,\sqrt{M H}\})$ for arbitrary robot deployments, where $M$ is the largest edge length in the Euclidean minimum spanning tree on the initial robot configuration and $H$ is the height of the tree. We also study the case when the robot initial positions are chosen uniformly at random and improve the ratio to $O(M)$. Finally, we present simulation results to validate the performance in larger scales and demonstrate our algorithm using three robots in a field experiment.
Learning Robust Manipulation Skills with Guided Policy Search via Generative Motor Reflexes
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Guided Policy Search enables robots to learn control policies for complex manipulation tasks efficiently. Therein, the control policies are represented as high-dimensional neural networks which derive robot actions based on states. However, due to the small number of real-world trajectory samples in Guided Policy Search, the resulting neural networks are only robust in the neighbourhood of the trajectory distribution explored by real-world interactions. In this paper, we present a new policy representation called Generative Motor Reflexes, which is able to generate robust actions over a broader state space compared to previous methods. In contrast to prior state-action policies, Generative Motor Reflexes map states to parameters for a state-dependent motor reflex, which is then used to derive actions. Robustness is achieved by generating similar motor reflexes for many states. We evaluate the presented method in simulated and real-world manipulation tasks, including contact-rich peg-in-hole tasks. Using these evaluation tasks, we show that policies represented as Generative Motor Reflexes lead to robust manipulation skills also outside the explored trajectory distribution with less training needs compared to previous methods.
A Learning Framework for High Precision Industrial Assembly
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Automatic assembly has broad applications in industries. Traditional assembly tasks utilize predefined trajectories or tuned force control parameters, which make the automatic assembly time-consuming, difficult to generalize, and not robust to uncertainties. In this paper, we propose a learning framework for high precision industrial assembly. The framework combines both the supervised learning and the reinforcement learning. The supervised learning utilizes trajectory optimization to provide the initial guidance to the policy, while the reinforcement learning utilizes actor-critic algorithm to establish the evaluation system even the supervisor is not accurate. The proposed learning framework is more efficient compared with the reinforcement learning and achieves better stability performance than the supervised learning. The effectiveness of the method is verified by both the simulation and experiment.
Flappy Hummingbird: An Open Source Dynamic Simulation of Flapping Wing Robots and Animals
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Insects and hummingbirds exhibit extraordinary flight capabilities and can simultaneously master seemingly conflicting goals: stable hovering and aggressive maneuvering, unmatched by small scale man-made vehicles. Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs) hold great promise for closing this performance gap. However, design and control of such systems remain challenging due to various constraints. Here, we present an open source high fidelity dynamic simulation for FWMAVs to serve as a testbed for the design, optimization and flight control of FWMAVs. For simulation validation, we recreated the hummingbird-scale robot developed in our lab in the simulation. System identification was performed to obtain the model parameters. The force generation, open-loop and closed-loop dynamic response between simulated and experimental flights were compared and validated. The unsteady aerodynamics and the highly nonlinear flight dynamics present challenging control problems for conventional and learning control algorithms such as Reinforcement Learning. The interface of the simulation is fully compatible with OpenAI Gym environment. As a benchmark study, we present a linear controller for hovering stabilization and a Deep Reinforcement Learning control policy for goal-directed maneuvering. Finally, we demonstrate direct simulation-to-real transfer of both control policies onto the physical robot, further demonstrating the fidelity of the simulation.
Learning Extreme Hummingbird Maneuvers on Flapping Wing Robots
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Biological studies show that hummingbirds can perform extreme aerobatic maneuvers during fast escape. Given a sudden looming visual stimulus at hover, a hummingbird initiates a fast backward translation coupled with a 180-degree yaw turn, which is followed by instant posture stabilization in just under 10 wingbeats. Consider the wingbeat frequency of 40Hz, this aggressive maneuver is carried out in just 0.2 seconds. Inspired by the hummingbirds' near-maximal performance during such extreme maneuvers, we developed a flight control strategy and experimentally demonstrated that such maneuverability can be achieved by an at-scale 12-gram hummingbird robot equipped with just two actuators. The proposed hybrid control policy combines model-based nonlinear control with model-free reinforcement learning. We use model-based nonlinear control for nominal flight control, as the dynamic model is relatively accurate for these conditions. However, during extreme maneuver, the modeling error becomes unmanageable. A model-free reinforcement learning policy trained in simulation was optimized to 'destabilize' the system and maximize the performance during maneuvering. The hybrid policy manifests a maneuver that is close to that observed in hummingbirds. Direct simulation-to-real transfer is achieved, demonstrating the hummingbird-like fast evasive maneuvers on the at-scale hummingbird robot.
2D3D-Matchnet: Learning To Match Keypoints Across 2D Image And 3D Point Cloud
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Large-scale point cloud generated from 3D sensors is more accurate than its image-based counterpart. However, it is seldom used in visual pose estimation due to the difficulty in obtaining 2D-3D image to point cloud correspondences. In this paper, we propose the 2D3D-MatchNet - an end-to-end deep network architecture to jointly learn the descriptors for 2D and 3D keypoint from image and point cloud, respectively. As a result, we are able to directly match and establish 2D-3D correspondences from the query image and 3D point cloud reference map for visual pose estimation. We create our Oxford 2D-3D Patches dataset from the Oxford Robotcar dataset with the ground truth camera poses and 2D-3D image to point cloud correspondences for training and testing the deep network. Experimental results verify the feasibility of our approach.
Methodology of Designing Multi-agent Robot Control Systems Utilising Hierarchical Petri Nets
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

A robot system is designed as a set of embodied agents. An embodied agent is decomposed into cooperating subsystems. In our previous work activities of subsystems were defined by hierarchical finite state machines. With their states, activities were associated. In that approach communication between subsystems was treated as an implementation issue. This paper represents the activities of a robot system using hierarchical Petri nets with conditions. Such net is created by specifying consecutive layers: multi-agent robot system layer, agent layer, subsystem layer, behaviour layer and communication layer. This decomposition not only organizes in a systematic manner the development of a robot system but also introduces a comprehensive description of concurrently acting subsystems. Based on those theoretical considerations, a tool was created for producing hierarchical Petri nets defining the model of a robotic system and enabling automatic generation of the robot controller code, resulting in a significant acceleration of the implementation phase. The capabilities of the tool are presented by the development of a robot controller performing a rudimentary task.
Efficient Constellation-Based Map-Merging for Semantic SLAM
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

Data association in SLAM is fundamentally challenging, and handling ambiguity well is crucial to achieve robust operation in real-world environments. When ambiguous measurements arise, conservatism often mandates that the measurement is discarded or a new landmark is initialized rather than risking an incorrect association. To address the inevitable `duplicate' landmarks that arise, we present an efficient map-merging framework to detect duplicate constellations of landmarks, providing a high-confidence loop-closure mechanism well-suited for object-level SLAM. This approach uses an incrementally-computable approximation of landmark uncertainty that only depends on local information in the SLAM graph, avoiding expensive recovery of the full system covariance matrix. This enables a search based on geometric consistency (GC) (rather than full joint compatibility (JC)) that inexpensively reduces the search space to a handful of `best' hypotheses. Furthermore, we reformulate the commonly-used interpretation tree to allow for more efficient integration of clique-based pairwise compatibility, accelerating the branch-and-bound max-cardinality search. Our method is demonstrated to match the performance of full JC methods at significantly-reduced computational cost, facilitating robust object-based loop-closure over large SLAM problems.
Safely Probabilistically Complete Real-Time Planning and Exploration in Unknown Environments
Venue: Conference ICRA 2019
Year: 2019

We present a new framework for motion planning that wraps around existing kinodynamic planners and guarantees recursive feasibility when operating in a priori unknown, static environments. Our approach makes strong guarantees about overall safety and collision avoidance by utilizing a robust controller derived from reachability analysis. We ensure that motion plans never exit the safe backward reachable set of the initial state, while safely exploring the space. This preserves the safety of the initial state, and guarantees that that we will eventually find the goal if it is possible to do so while exploring safely. We implement our framework in the Robot Operating System (ROS) software environment and demonstrate it in a real-time simulation.