Related papers: Sensing and Control of Friction Mode for Contact A…
The key parameter for describing frictional strength at the onset of sliding is the static friction coefficient. Yet, how the static friction coefficient emerges at the macroscale from contacting asperities at the microscale is still an…
The objective of this note is to share some reflections of the authors regarding the use of sliding mode designs in control systems. We believe the abundant, and ever increasing, appearance of this kind of works on our scientific…
Dynamics simulation with frictional contacts is important for a wide range of applications, from cloth simulation to object manipulation. Recent methods using smoothed lagged friction forces have enabled robust and differentiable simulation…
This letter proposes a novel single-fingered reconfigurable robotic gripper for grasping objects in narrow working spaces. The finger of the developed gripper realizes two configurations, namely, the insertion and grasping modes, using only…
Many robotic surgical systems have been developed with micro-sized forceps for tissue manipulation. However, these systems often lack force sensing at the tool side and the manipulation forces are roughly estimated and controlled relying on…
Grasping deformable objects is not well researched due to the complexity in modelling and simulating the dynamic behavior of such objects. However, with the rapid development of physics-based simulators that support soft bodies, the…
This paper presents a design methodology of a hydraulically-driven soft robotic gripper for grasping a large and heavy object -- approximately 10 - 20 kg with 20 - 30 cm diameter. Most existing soft grippers are pneumatically actuated with…
We study the lubricated contact of sliding soft surfaces that are locally patterned but globally cylindrical, held together under an external normal force. The local patterns represent either naturally occurring surface roughness or…
Digital Image Correlation is used to study the micromechanics of a multi-contact interface formed between a rough elastomer and a smooth glass surface. The in-plane elastomer deformation is monitored during the incipient sliding regime,…
This paper presents a method for online estimation of contact properties during in-hand sliding manipulation with a parallel gripper. We estimate the static and Coulomb friction as well as the contact radius from tactile measurements of…
Regulating contact forces with high precision is crucial for grasping and manipulating fragile or deformable objects. We aim to utilize the dexterity of human hands to regulate the contact forces for robotic hands and exploit human…
Tactile sensing can enable robots to perform complex, contact-rich tasks. Magnetic sensors offer accurate three-axis force measurements while using affordable materials. Calibrating such a sensor involves either manual data collection, or…
We present a self-contained, soft robotic hand composed of soft pneumatic actuator modules that are equipped with strain and pressure sensing. We show how this data can be used to discern whether a grasp was successful. Co-locating sensing…
Soft robots have a myriad of potentials because of their intrinsically compliant bodies, enabling safe interactions with humans and adaptability to unpredictable environments. However, most of them have limited actuation speeds, require…
Frictional forces are a key ingredient of any physical description of the macroscopic world, as they account for the phenomena causing transformation of mechanical energy into heat. They are ubiquitous in nature, and a wide range of…
Soft grippers have excellent adaptability for a variety of objects and tasks. Jamming-based variable stiffness materials can further increase soft grippers' gripping force and capacity. Previous universal grippers enabled by granular…
This paper presents a shear-based control scheme for grasping and manipulating delicate objects with a Pisa/IIT anthropomorphic SoftHand equipped with soft biomimetic tactile sensors on all five fingertips. These `microTac' tactile sensors…
Robot grasping is subject to an inherent tradeoff: Grippers with a large span typically take a longer time to close, and fast grippers usually cover a small span. However, many practical applications of soft grippers require the ability to…
This paper, and its companion, propose a new fractal robotic gripper, drawing inspiration from the century-old Fractal Vise. The unusual synergistic properties allow it to passively conform to diverse objects using only one actuator.…
Grasping is a core task in robotics with various applications. However, most current implementations are primarily designed for rigid items, and their performance drops considerably when handling fragile or deformable materials that require…