Declarative specification of task-based grasping with constraint validation

Grasping objects and using them in a task-oriented manner is challenging for a robot. It requires an understanding of the object, the robot´s capabilities, and the task to be executed. We argue that an explicit representation of these domains increases reusability and robustness of the resulting system. We present the declarative Grasp Domain Definition Language (GDDL) which enables the explicit grasp-planner-independent specification of grasping problems. The formal model underlying GDDL enables the definition of formal constraints that are validated during design time and run time. Our approach has been realized on two real robots.