Physics Projection

This study presents an approach termed physics projection, via which robots can learn about the physical world and predict the effects of their actions online and in an active manner. This approach employs three components: a robot, physical world model, and physics engine. The physics projection process involves a double loop structure comprising a real loop for learning the physical world model and an imaginary loop for a simulation search. Experiments were performed using the TurtleBot3 mobile robot and Unity graphics engine. The results effectively demonstrate that the robot can predict the effects of various actions performed by it under the given physical conditions, successfully execute the tasks of carrying a wine glass and a cup filled with water without dropping them or spilling their contents, and predict a catastrophic effect that could not be predicted by a human operator. The proposed method would contribute to enable robots to predict the effects of their actions and determine appropriate actions to perform in a dynamically changing physical world.