Using environment objects as tools: Unconventional door opening

Robots should be able to utilize environment objects as tools. A critical challenge to accomplishing this task is the vast search space that arises when considering multiple interacting bodies. To manage this complexity, we introduce an approach which efficiently reasons by back-propagating physical constraints between useful combinations of objects. This approach allows us to exploit restrictions on relative object configurations to reduce the search space prior to committing to specific object choices. We present a simulated implementation of our approach applied to the problem of opening a jammed door. Our method allows a robot to efficiently choose between two strategies, leverage and impact, to achieve the desired result using various available objects.