Trends and challenges in robot manipulation

Our ability to grab, hold, and manipulate objects involves our dexterous hands, our sense of touch, and feedback from our eyes and muscles that allows us to maintain a controlled grip. Billard and Kragic review the progress made in robotics to emulate these functions. Systems have developed from simple, pinching grippers operating in a fully defined environment, to robots that can identify, select, and manipulate objects from a random collection. Further developments are emerging from advances in computer vision, computer processing capabilities, and tactile materials that give feedback to the robot.