Cloth Manipulation

Robotic cloth manipulation aims to enable robots to perform tasks involving deformable fabrics, such as folding laundry or making beds, a challenge due to cloth's complex dynamics and high dimensionality. Current research focuses on improving perception (e.g., using vision and tactile sensors to identify cloth layers and key structural regions), developing robust control strategies (e.g., employing reinforcement learning, optimal control, and flow-based policies), and standardizing cloth properties for better model generalization. These advancements are crucial for creating more capable assistive robots and automating tasks in various industries, from healthcare to manufacturing.