{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T02:22:24Z","timestamp":1777861344250,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760659200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Symmetry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly Visual Language Models (VLMs), into robotics promises more intuitive human\u2013robot interactions; however, challenges remain in efficiently translating high-level commands into precise physical actions. This paper presents a novel architecture for vision-based object manipulation that leverages a VLM\u2019s reasoning capabilities while incorporating symmetry principles to enhance operational efficiency. Implemented on a Yahboom DOFBOT educational robot with a Jetson Nano platform, our system introduces a prompt-based framework that uniquely embeds symmetry-related cues to streamline feature extraction and object detection from visual data. This methodology, which utilizes few-shot learning, enables the VLM to generate more accurate and contextually relevant commands for manipulation tasks by efficiently interpreting the symmetric and asymmetric features of objects. The experimental results in controlled scenarios demonstrate that our symmetry-informed approach significantly improves the robot\u2019s interaction efficiency and decision-making accuracy compared to generic prompting strategies. This work contributes a robust method for integrating fundamental vision principles into modern generative AI workflows for robotics. Furthermore, its implementation on an accessible educational platform shows its potential to simplify complex robotics concepts for engineering education and research.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sym17101756","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T07:33:50Z","timestamp":1760686430000},"page":"1756","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A Symmetry-Informed Multimodal LLM-Driven Approach to Robotic Object Manipulation: Lowering Entry Barriers in Mechatronics Education"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0585-908X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge","family":"Gudi\u00f1o-Lau","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Electromechanical Engineering, Universidad de Colima, El Naranjo 28060, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0780-6192","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Dur\u00e1n-Fonseca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Electromechanical Engineering, Universidad de Colima, El Naranjo 28060, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2780-2727","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis E.","family":"Anido-Rif\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"atlanTTic Research Center, School of Telecommunications Engineering, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4184-0116","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro C.","family":"Santana-Mancilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Telematics, Universidad de Colima, Colima 28040, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"OpenAI (2024). 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