Robots coordinate precise collision-free actions for construction tasks
CAST: Collision-Aware Assembly with Construction Robots using Simultaneous Trajectory Estimation and Planning
Robotics
Summary
Building things with robots is tricky because they must avoid bumping into each other, the materials, or walls. The authors created a system that helps multiple robots plan their movements all at once, making sure they don't collide while working together. They use measurements and special rules to keep robots steady even when they shake or vibrate. They tested their idea by having one robot hold timber pieces while another attaches nails, showing the robots can safely and smoothly build a simple structure.
What this means in practice
- •For construction robotics teams: Enable synchronized motion planning for multiple robots handling complex assembly tasks without collisions in ever-changing construction environments.
- •For warehouse automation operators: Coordinate multiple robotic arms for safely manipulating items and packaging while avoiding collisions with each other and surrounding objects.
Authors
Karthik Shaji, Chisung Kim, John D'Amato, Edvard Bruun, Frank Dellaert
Abstract
Multi-robot systems have shown increasing viability in construction due to their ability to execute high-precision actions while reducing human exposure to hazardous tasks. However, these environments have high-dimensional configuration spaces and possess substantial collision-avoidance constraints, which include other robots, assembly objects, and workspace boundaries. We utilize a single factor graph for trajectory estimation and planning that incorporates measured robot states together with explicit collision and learned cable constraints. This supports changing workspaces and enables synchronized, high-dimensional robot motion planning while accounting for the stiff, vibration-induced uncertainty of heavy robotic systems. We demonstrate the success of our framework on the construction of a post-and-lintel structure using one robot arm as a timber gripper, and a second robot as a nail-fastener.