Robotics
Robotic manipulation
Definition
Robotic manipulation is the use of a robot to change an object's position, orientation, or state through physical interaction. It includes grasping and moving objects as well as actions such as pushing or carrying them without a grasp.
Also known as: Robot manipulation
Updated
More than grasping
Picking up a cup is manipulation, but so is sliding it across a table. Modern Robotics distinguishes grasping from non-grasping manipulation and gives examples including pushing, carrying a tray, and moving objects through vibration.
The distinction matters because the robot makes different contacts with the object. The same reference analyses these tasks through contact motion, contact forces, and rigid-body dynamics.
Learning from demonstrations
Manipulation can use two arms working together. The ALOHA 2 project provides hardware for collecting demonstrations of two-arm tasks through teleoperation. Those demonstrations support research into learning robot behaviour from examples.
Handling objects is a specific capability
A humanoid robot may be built for manipulation, but body shape does not establish what it can handle. Check the object, task, contact conditions, and amount of supervision in a reported result. A successful grasp of one rigid object does not establish reliable handling of every object.
Sources
Related terms
Humanoid robot
A humanoid robot is a robot with a body arranged to resemble the human form, usually with a torso, arms, and legs. The term describes its physical form and does not by itself establish human-level intelligence or general autonomy.
Teleoperation
Teleoperation is the control of a robot by a human operator from a separate location or interface. The operator supplies commands while feedback, such as camera images or the robot's motion, helps them guide the task.
Vision-language-action model
A vision-language-action model is an AI model that uses visual observations and language instructions to produce actions for a robot. It connects what a robot sees and what it is asked to do with outputs that a robot controller can execute.