Optimal Form Factor for Budget-Constrained Mobile Manipulation

Determine the optimal hardware form factor for mobile manipulation under budget constraints, specifying the configuration that best balances capability, controllability, and affordability for real-world deployment.

Background

The paper motivates the need for affordable, capable mobile manipulation platforms to support scalable robot learning and real-world deployment. Existing options span humanoids, commercial mobile manipulators, and various low-cost open-source systems, each with distinct trade-offs in cost, footprint, dexterity, mobility, and openness.

To address these trade-offs, the authors introduce YOR—an omnidirectional base with a vertical lift and dual compliant arms—as one candidate design. However, they explicitly note that identifying the optimal hardware form factor for mobile manipulation on a budget remains unresolved, framing their contribution as a step toward, rather than a definitive answer to, this broader question.