Robotic grasping of items can be useful in many situations. In many instances, large cost savings can be achieved by replacing or supplementing operations performed by human workers with operations performed by robotic arms or other manipulators. However, certain challenges exist for effectively utilizing robotic grasping.
In various inventory systems—such as those in mail order warehouses, supply chain distribution centers, airport luggage systems, and custom-order manufacturing facilities—a large variety of items may be encountered by a robotic manipulator. The robotic manipulator in many cases may not be suitable for grasping all of the different shapes, sizes, and orientations of items presented in the inventory system. For example, delicate items may be difficult to handle without causing damage when grasped by a robotic manipulator with fingers constructed of a rigid and durable material. Yet, at the same time, robotic manipulator fingers constructed of a softer or more flexible material suitable to handle delicate objects may be less durable and may last considerably less time than rigid alternatives. Other issues may arise if provision is made for multiple types of manipulators that may be alternatively selected to handle any presented item in an inventory system. For example, additional costs may be incurred to provide manipulators with fingers of soft material for delicate items as well as manipulators with fingers of rigid material for all other items. Additionally, it may add undesirable complexity, costs, and/or time to suitably account for the processes of selecting and/or transitioning between such options.
Moreover, control systems for robotic manipulators can be very complex. For example, many manipulators utilize respective controllers for controlling respective fingers in synchronization with one another to perform grasping operations. Generally, complexity may lead to delays, for example, due to time consumed in a process of evaluating a large number of possible solutions to grasp the item and choosing from among those options. Complexity may also provide a greater number of modes in which a robotic manipulator can fail, which is desirably avoided.