Cartman: The low-cost Cartesian Manipulator that won the Amazon Robotics Challenge

2017/09/19 by Douglas Morrison, Morrison, D., A. W. Tow +41 · 2 citations
Computer Science · Engineering · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Robotic Path Planning Algorithms #Robotics (cs.RO) #Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1709.06283

openalex publication_date 2017/09/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

The Amazon Robotics Challenge enlisted sixteen teams to each design a pick-and-place robot for autonomous warehousing, addressing development in robotic vision and manipulation. This paper presents the design of our custom-built, cost-effective, Cartesian robot system Cartman, which won first place in the competition finals by stowing 14 (out of 16) and picking all 9 items in 27 minutes, scoring a total of 272 points. We highlight our experience-centred design methodology and key aspects of our system that contributed to our competitiveness. We believe these aspects are crucial to building robust and effective robotic systems.

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• Stow: Robotic Packing of Items into Fabric Pods
• Semi Supervised Deep Quick Instance Detection and Segmentation

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