This work focuses on generating multiple coordinated motor skills for intelligent systems and studies a Multi-Expert Synthesis (MES) approach to achieve versatile robotic skills for locomotion and manipulation. MES embeds and uses expert skills to solve new composite tasks, and is able to synthesise and coordinate different and multiple skills smoothly. We proposed essential and effective design guidelines for training successful MES policies in simulation, which were deployed on both floating- and fixed-base robots. We formulated new algorithms to systematically determine task-relevant state variables for each individual experts which improved robustness and learning efficiency, and an explicit enforcement objective to diversify skills among different experts. The capabilities of MES policies were validated in both simulation and real experiments for locomotion and bi-manual manipulation. We demonstrated that the MES policies achieved robust locomotion on the quadruped ANYmal by fusing the gait recovery and trotting skills. For object manipulation, the MES policies learned to first reconfigure an object in an ungraspable pose and then grasp it through cooperative dual-arm manipulation.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Multi-expert synthesis for versatile locomotion and manipulation skills


    Contributors:
    Yuan, K (author) / Li, Z (author)

    Publication date :

    2022-09-28


    Remarks:

    Frontiers in Robotics and AI , 9 , Article 970890. (2022)


    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    DDC:    629



    Locomotion and manipulation of home robots

    Sugano, S. | British Library Online Contents | 1995


    Functions of leg for locomotion & manipulation

    Sano, A. | British Library Online Contents | 1995


    Autonomous environment manipulation to assist humanoid locomotion

    Levihn, Martin / Nishiwaki, Koichi / Kagami, Satoshi et al. | IEEE | 2014



    Robot with integrated locomotion and manipulation for agriculture

    Sato, J.-i. | British Library Online Contents | 1995