New AI framework to help machines understand 3D spaces in finer detail

What happened

For a service robot moving through an office, recognizing "furniture" is useful. When the robot has to plan a route or interact with objects, it also needs finer detail, such as whether that furniture is a chair, table or bookcase, and whether an opening is a door or a window. These distinctions can affect how a machine moves, avoids obstacles and decides what it can safely interact with.