Abstract
Visual information is necessary for a robot to manipulate flexible objects like ropes. Direct visual feedback and verification in three dimensional space are the keys to perform successful manipulation of flexible objects.
In this paper the important points of hand eye coordination are discussed and a rope handling experiment is described. Automatic calibration, visual verification at grasping operation, and visual feedback for guiding a object are described. The hand eye system consists of robot vision system, a general purpose manipulator, and Lisp system. Main visual functions are local image processing along a linear region and stereo vision. The experiment involves task performance such as rope-into-ring and tying a rope. Coordinating general purpose arm with stereo vision, our robot succeeds in manipulating a flexible rope.
