Determination of the identity, position and orientation of the topmost object in a pile: Some further experiments

In a recent report [7], we proposed algorithms for segmenting out the visible part of the topmost object from a pile of planar and curved objects. Planar objects considered were of convex polyhedral type, such as prisms, boxes, wedges, etc; and the curved objects were of the type that could be recognized uniquely by using the Extended Gaussian Image, such object-types being cylinders, cones, spheres, ellipsoids, toruses, etc. For input these algorithms used 3-D vision data acquired with a structured light scanner. In this report, we will review some of the algorithms presented earlier and show our latest experimental results on scenes that are more complex than before. In our presentation at the conference, we also plan to show some manipulation experiments that for sensory feedback use 3-D vision data analyzed according to the algorithms presented here.