Objective
Textile objects pervade human environments and their versatile manipulation by robots would open up a whole range of
possibilities, from increasing the autonomy of elderly and disabled people, housekeeping and hospital logistics, to novel
automation in the clothing internet business and upholstered product manufacturing. Although efficient procedures exist for
the robotic handling of rigid objects and the virtual rendering of deformable objects, cloth manipulation in the real world has
proven elusive, because the vast number of degrees of freedom involved in non-rigid deformations leads to unbearable
uncertainties in perception and action outcomes.
This proposal aims at developing a theory of cloth manipulation and carrying it all the way down to prototype implementation in our Lab. By combining powerful recent tools from computational topology and machine learning, we plan to characterize the state of textile objects and their transformations under given actions in a compact operational way (i.e. encoding task-relevant topological changes), which would permit probabilistic planning of actions (first one handed, then bimanual) that ensure reaching a desired cloth configuration despite noisy perceptions and inaccurate actions.
In our approach, the robot will learn manipulation skills from an initial human demonstration, subsequently refined through
reinforcement learning, plus occasional requests for user advice. The skills will be encoded as parameterised dynamical
systems, and safe interaction with humans will be guaranteed by using a predictive controller based on a model of the robot
dynamics. Prototypes will be developed for 3 envisaged applications: recognizing and folding clothes, putting an elastic
cover on a mattress or a car seat, and helping elderly and disabled people to dress. The broad Robotics and AI background
of the PI and the project narrow focus on clothing seem most appropriate to obtain a breakthrough in this hard fundamental
research topic.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2016-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 MADRID
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.