This Research Initiation Award is for theoretical and experimental work in robotic parts assembly. The theoretical research will identify information invariants for simple manipulation tasks: inherent assembly-time tradeoffs between sensing, action, and prediction. Dr. Erdmann will then test his theory on a robotic parts-orienting system, with sensing and manipulatory tasks decomposed along information-invariant boundaries. This research could lead to improved manufacturing design as well as reliable and efficient parts assembly.
