Planning to Flip Heavy Objects Considering Soft-Finger Contacts

抄録

In this study, we implemented a constrained motion planner that enables robot manipulators to flip large and heavy objects without slippage while continuously holding them. Based on the soft-finger maximum friction torque, we developed a constraint relaxation method to estimate the critical rotation angle that a robot end effector can rotate while avoiding in-hand slippage. The critical rotation angle was used in a motion planner to sample safe configurations and generate slippage-free motion. The proposed planner was implemented using a 6-degree-of-freedom robot arm and a 2-finger robotic gripper with rubber pads attached to the fingertips. Experiments were performed with several objects to examine and demonstrate the performance of the planner. The results indicated satisfying planning time and the elimination of object slippage.