Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

Paper Summary: Analysis of an Enhanced

Opportunistic System for Grasping

Curved Objects through Rolling Contact

1. Abstract and Introduction

The paper introduces the Enhanced Opportunistic System (EOS) for grasp planning
through haptic exploration by rolling contact, featuring a novel rating system that
enables agents within the system to assess their utility.

• This system aims to integrate various grasp planning strategies under a unified
controller, enhancing efficiency and adaptability.

• The focus is on evaluating the effectiveness of the EOS's dual sub-rating system
(fixed and variable) in facilitating dynamic agent coordination and improving
grasp planning outcomes.

• The introduction underscores the complexity of grasp planning and the EOS's
potential to unify and enhance grasp planning methodologies through its
innovative, modular approach.

2. Background Information

2.1. Rating System

The EOS rating system utilizes Bayesian Formalism to handle uncertainty and
calculate agent ratings.

It includes two sub-ratings:

• a fixed sub-rating for predefined agent ranks, and

• a variable sub-rating for opportunistic ranking based on current conditions.
• The combination of fixed and variable sub-ratings determines an agent's total
rating, enabling the system to balance stability and adaptability.

1 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26
Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

Example:
The rating can be a function of the system status, such as when deciding whether to
move the robotic hand closer to an object or to actuate the fingers for grasping.

• The decision is influenced by the ratio of the object's estimated diameter to the
robotic hand's maximum vertical span.

• For small objects, the hand needs to move closer to ensure a successful grasp.

• For larger objects, finger actuation is sufficient without the risk of missing the
object.

• If the ratio exceeds one, the object is deemed too large to grasp, ensuring the
ratio remains below one.

• This ratio is used as the opportunistic sub-rating for actions like joint angle
actuation, with the complement of the ratio guiding the wrist actuation.

• This methodology illustrates how agent ratings adapt based on the system's
current needs and objectives.

2.2. EP1

• EP1 (Exploratory Procedure 1) focuses on estimating the curvature of objects

through rolling contact, aimed at identifying spherical or flat surfaces.

• The procedure involves rolling a robot finger on the object's surface at a constant
angular velocity around a fixed axis, using known fingertip metrics and curvatures
to estimate the object's curvature at the contact point.

• The outcome of EP1 is the calculation of the object's surface curvature radius at
the contact point, which can then be used to inform grasping strategies and
identify potential grasping points on the object.

• The accuracy of EP1, reflected in the relative error between the estimated and
real curvature radius, influences its frequency of use; smaller errors lead to less
frequent execution.

• EP1, implemented as an agent within the EOS, is crucial during the information-
gathering stage to build a better understanding of the object, particularly when
the system lacks enough information to postulate the object's shape with high
confidence.

3. System Architecture

2 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26
Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

Components

• The Enhanced Opportunistic System (EOS) architecture resembles the Blackboard

architecture, comprising a controller (C), agents (A), and an information board
(IF) to facilitate data flow and decision-making.

Three Main Stages

• EOS operates in three main stages: search, information, and grasping. Each stage
is designed to progressively locate the object in space, gather sufficient data to
identify it, and finally achieve a grasp on the object.

• Agents within the EOS suggest actions based on the current situation, with each
agent encapsulated as a modular component within PROLOG. This modularity
allows for flexibility and adaptability in handling various tasks.

Eight Agents

• The system currently includes eight agents specialized in different functions (e.g.,
finger manipulation, wrist action, EP1 execution, shape postulation, and grasp
point identification), each restricted to operate in specific stages to optimize
performance and resource usage.

Choose the Agent with Highest Rating

• The controller's role is pivotal, determining the course of action in each cycle by
selecting the agent with the highest rating, showcasing the integration of the
rating system into the overall system architecture for efficient decision-making.

4. Experimental Results

• The EOS was tested in three stages (search, information, and grasping), starting
with locating an object in a simulated environment and attempting to grasp it
using a precision grip technique.

• The system's effectiveness was evaluated by adjusting the weighting factors of the
fixed and opportunistic sub-ratings. Experiments showed that relying solely on
either sub-rating (default or opportunistic) was insufficient for completing the
task stages effectively.

4.1. Default vs. Opportunistic Sub-Rating

3 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26
Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

• In one experiment, assigning a full weight to the default sub-rating and none to
the opportunistic sub-rating resulted in the system executing each of the search
stage agents once before halting. This highlighted the lack of flexibility when
omitting the opportunistic sub-rating.

• Conversely, giving full weight to the opportunistic sub-rating and none to the
default allowed the system to progress through search and information stages but
fail in the grasping stage due to a lack of initial direction.

• The experiments underscored the necessity of both sub-ratings for the system's
success, with the opportunistic sub-rating providing flexibility and the default sub-
rating ensuring stability.

4.2. The EOS Resultant Grasps

• A significant observation was that the ratio of the object's diameter to the robotic
hand's height inversely correlated with the number of cycles required to complete
a grasp. This indicated that larger objects required fewer cycles for successful
grasping compared to smaller objects, which necessitated more nuanced
adjustments between finger and wrist actions.

• The experimental results demonstrated the importance of the dual sub-rating

system in enabling the EOS to adaptively and effectively handle the complex task
of object grasping.

5. Analysis

Issuses of Single Rating System

• The analysis of the Enhanced Opportunistic System (EOS) confirmed that neither
the default (fixed) nor the opportunistic sub-rating is sufficient on its own for
optimal system performance. The fixed sub-rating, while providing stability, lacks
the flexibility needed for dynamic task adaptation. In contrast, the opportunistic
sub-rating, although flexible, may lead to instability if used in isolation due to its
dependence on current circumstances.

Combination of both Rating Systems

• The experiments demonstrated that the EOS requires the combination of both sub-
ratings to function effectively. The opportunistic sub-rating enables the system to
adapt its actions based on the current state and information available, while the

4 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26
Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

default sub-rating ensures a baseline of stability and predictability in agent

selection and task execution.

• The analysis highlighted an emergent role for each sub-rating:

• the default sub-rating as a stabilizing factor and the opportunistic sub-rating

as the driving force for adaptability.

• This duality ensures that the system can handle various stages of task
execution, from search and information gathering to the final grasping of
objects.

Grasping

• The results from testing different object sizes revealed that the system's efficiency
in completing grasps is inversely proportional to the ratio of the object's diameter
to the hand's height. This outcome was attributed to the implementation of the
grasping stage, where the system decides between actuating finger joints or
moving the wrist based on the object's size relative to the hand's capabilities.

• Overall, the analysis underscored the importance of a balanced approach to rating

agents within the EOS, leveraging both fixed and variable sub-ratings to achieve a
system that is both stable and adaptable to changing conditions and tasks.

6. Conclusion and Future Work

Conclusion

• The paper introduced a novel rating system within the Enhanced Opportunistic
System (EOS) for multi-agent modular systems focused on grasp planning
strategies. This system employs both default and opportunistic knowledge through
sub-ratings, proving that a combination of these knowledge types is crucial for a
functional and adaptable system. The experiments showed that using both sub-
ratings allows the EOS to successfully complete task stages and adapt to various
object sizes for effective grasping, highlighting the necessity of balancing stability
with flexibility.

Future Work

• Future efforts will explore adding another exploratory procedure (EP2), which
involves dragging three fingers across the object's surface to approximate its
shape with fewer data points, enhancing shape estimation capabilities.

5 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26
Markdown | 让排版变 Nice https://editor.mdnice.com/?outId=5bc33be5631d4a80...

• The inclusion of a "Learned" sub-rating is considered, allowing the system to

utilize past experiences to influence current actions, potentially reducing the
cycles needed for successful grasps on familiar objects.

• Another direction for advancement is to refine the controller's decision-making

process by enabling it to select agents based on higher goals or additional
information, improving the system's ability to choose the most appropriate agent
for a given task.

Bayesian Networks

• The possibility of integrating a Bayesian Network into the controller's screening

mechanism is also mentioned, which could further optimize agent selection and
task execution strategies based on a more complex analysis of inputs and desired
outcomes.

• These future developments aim to enhance the EOS's efficiency, adaptability, and
overall performance in robotic grasp planning and execution.

6 of 6 2024-03-08, 19:26