Accurate registration between a prior model and the real scene is essential for high-precision robotic manipulation, yet optical methods suffer from long calibration chains, line-of-sight constraints, and fabrication errors. We propose a calibration-free alternative that reformulates contact registration as complementary-shape docking between the object and the probe's swept volume, explicitly accounting for probe geometry and leveraging both contact and non-contact evidence. Our solver integrates a global-to-local search via 3D FFT correlation over low-discrepancy SO(3) samples, then followed by continuous SE(3) refinement using Lie-algebra updates and analytic contact sensitivities. This pipeline yields efficient exploration and metric-grade convergence without fragile point correspondences. Simulation across free-form meshes achieved sub-0.04 mm and sub-0.4{\deg} accuracy and robustness to pose noise and contact loss. On a tooth-preparation robot, our method attained 0.42 mm and 3.75{\deg}, outperforming an optical tracker registration while requiring no external sensors. These results demonstrate a practical and precise registration strategy for surgical and industrial robots.
@article{arxiv.2605.21398,
title = {From swept contact to pose: Probe-aware registration via complementary-shape docking},
author = {Chen Chen and Yunwen Li and Yifan Xu and Xiangjie Yan and Chang Shu and Jianxia Hou and Shiji Song and Xiang Li},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.21398},
year = {2026}
}