  In the field of robotic manipulation, the proficiency of deformable object
manipulation lags behind human capabilities due to the inherent characteristics
of deformable objects. These objects have infinite degrees of freedom,
resulting in non-trivial perception and state estimation, and complex dynamics,
complicating the prediction of future configurations. Although recent research
has focused on deformable object manipulation, most approaches rely on static
vision and simple manipulation techniques, limiting the performance level. This
paper proposes two solutions to enhance the performance: interactive perception
and the use of assistive tools. The first solution posits that optimal
perspectives exist during deformable object manipulation, facilitating easier
state estimation. By exploring the action-perception regularity, interactive
perception facilitates better manipulation and perception. The second solution
advocates for the use of assistive tools, a hallmark of human intelligence, to
improve manipulation performance. For instance, a folding board can aid in
garment folding tasks by reducing object deformation and managing complex
dynamics. Hence, this research aims to address the deformable object
manipulation problem by incorporating interactive perception and assistive
tools to augment manipulation performance.
