Optimizing Robotic Placement via Grasp-Dependent Feasibility Prediction

Abstract

In this paper, we study whether inexpensive, physics-free supervision can reliably prioritize grasp-place candidates for budget-aware pick-and-place. From an object's initial pose, target pose, and a candidate grasp, we generate two path-aware geometric labels: path-wise inverse kinematics (IK) feasibility across a fixed approach-grasp-lift waypoint template, and a transit collision flag from mesh sweeps along the same template. A compact dual-output MLP learns these signals from pose encodings, and at test time its scores rank precomputed candidates for a rank-then-plan policy under the same IK gate and planner as the baseline. Although learned from cheap labels only, the scores transfer to physics-enabled executed trajectories: at a fixed planning budget the policy finds successful paths sooner with fewer planner calls while keeping final success on par or better. This work targets a single rigid cuboid with side-face grasps and a fixed waypoint template, and we outline extensions to varied objects and richer waypoint schemes.