English

Controllability of rolling without twisting or slipping in higher dimensions

Optimization and Control 2012-02-02 v3 Systems and Control Differential Geometry

Abstract

We describe how the dynamical system of rolling two nn-dimensional connected, oriented Riemannian manifolds MM and M^\hat M without twisting or slipping, can be lifted to a nonholonomic system of elements in the product of the oriented orthonormal frame bundles belonging to the manifolds. By considering the lifted problem and using properties of the elements in the respective principal Ehresmann connections, we obtain sufficient conditions for the local controllability of the system in terms of the curvature tensors and the sectional curvatures of the manifolds involved. We also give some results for the particular cases when MM and M^\hat M are locally symmetric or complete.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1103.5258,
  title  = {Controllability of rolling without twisting or slipping in higher dimensions},
  author = {Erlend Grong},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1103.5258},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

21 pages