Three-Dimensional Sensing and Interpretation

: The main goal of this project is to produce a representational scheme that can be used to compare shape descriptions of solid three-dimensional objects. We are working toward a demonstration to show recognition and determination of position and orientation of solid objects on a tabletop, using a sensor consisting of a light-stripe projector and camera mounted in the hand of a robot manipulator. This report presents the results of a number of activities directed toward that goal: calibration and use of the range finder, a tactile sensor for exploring a three-dimensional domain, a system for identifying pipes in a bin, a method for assessing the similarity of cross- section curves, and pose cluster matching, a new technique for shape matching.