The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to share that council member Holly Yanco and a team of researchers are leading an ambitious project called Collaborative Open-source Manipulation Performance Assessment for Robotics Enhancement (COMPARE), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), aimed at revolutionizing robot manipulation through a standardized ecosystem.
In an article from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Yanco said, “The inability to reliably grasp and manipulate objects in unstructured environments is a major limitation preventing fully assistive robot systems in the home for our growing elderly population, flexible manufacturing to improve the supply chain, and many other applications.”
COMPARE has already engaged the robot manipulation community through workshops and collaboration with experts from Rutgers University, Yale University, University of South Florida, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. These efforts ensure that the standards being developed reflect the diverse needs and capabilities of the robotics field.
Their goal is to create a repository that simplifies the sharing and implementation of research in this complex field. This initiative is crucial because developing robots capable of performing everyday tasks, such as picking up objects, involves integrating various technologies. These technologies range from grippers to software that must work seamlessly together.
To tackle these challenges, COMPARE will establish clear guidelines and standards for robot manipulation research. This standardized approach will enable roboticists to compare their work easily with others and incorporate advancements from different research groups into their own projects. This connection is essential as current research in robot manipulation is diverse, which makes it difficult for innovations to be universally adopted without compatibility issues.
COMPARE aims to streamline robot manipulation research by establishing common standards that enhance collaboration and innovation across the field.
Read more on this project here.
