ENHANCING OBJECT SINGULATION IN CLUTTERED ENVIRONMENTS: A CASE STUDY WITH THE SOMA CUBE

Object singulation, the process of separating individual objects from a cluttered environment, poses significant challenges in various domains, including robotics and automation. This study focuses on enhancing object singulation in cluttered environments through the case study of the Soma Cube, a popular puzzle composed of several small interconnected cubes. The objective is to investigate two different strategies, scattering and pushing, and their effectiveness in achieving successful singulation. The experiments were conducted using a robotic manipulator equipped with specialized end-effectors. The results show that both scattering and pushing techniques contribute to improved singulation, but with variations in success rates and efficiency. The findings provide insights into the factors influencing singulation performance in cluttered environments and offer valuable guidance for the development of more efficient and reliable object manipulation systems.