Dex-Net AR uses Apple's ARKit to train robots to grasp objects

UC Berkeley AI researchers are using an iPhone X and Apple's ARKit to train a robotic arm how to grasp an object. ARKit creates point clouds from data generated by moving an RGB camera around an object for two minutes. Robotic grasping is a particular robotics subfield focused on the challenge of teaching a robot to pick up, move, manipulate, or grasp an object. The Dexterity Network, or Dex-Net, research project at UC Berkeley's Autolab dates back to 2017 and includes open source training data sets and pretrained models for robotic grasping in an ecommerce bin-picking scenario. The ability for robots to quickly learn how to grasp objects has a big impact on how automated warehouses like Amazon fulfillment centers can become.