Autonomous Object Manipulation Using a Soft Planar Grasping Manipulator

Abstract This article presents the development of an autonomous motion planning algorithm for a soft planar grasping manipulator capable of grasp-and-place operations by encapsulation with uncertainty in the position and shape of the object. The end effector of the soft manipulator is fabricated in one piece without weakening seams using lost-wax casting instead of the commonly used multilayer lamination process. The soft manipulation system can grasp randomly positioned objects within its reachable envelope and move them to a desired location without human intervention. The autonomous planning system leverages the compliance and continuum bending of the soft grasping manipulator to achieve repeatable grasps in the presence of uncertainty. A suite of experiments is presented that demonstrates the system's capabilities.

[1]  Daniela Rus,et al.  Hydraulic Autonomous Soft Robotic Fish for 3D Swimming , 2014, ISER.

[2]  S. Srinivasa,et al.  Push-grasping with dexterous hands: Mechanics and a method , 2010, 2010 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[3]  Jing Xiao,et al.  Real-time adaptive motion planning for a continuum manipulator , 2010, 2010 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[4]  Sung-Hoon Ahn,et al.  Review of manufacturing processes for soft biomimetic robots , 2009 .

[5]  Mehmet Remzi Dogar,et al.  Haptic identification of objects using a modular soft robotic gripper , 2015, 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

[6]  Matteo Cianchetti,et al.  Study and fabrication of bioinspired Octopus arm mockups tested on a multipurpose platform , 2010, 2010 3rd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.

[7]  Filip Ilievski,et al.  Soft robotics for chemists. , 2011, Angewandte Chemie.

[8]  Heinrich M. Jaeger,et al.  Universal robotic gripper based on the jamming of granular material , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[9]  Oliver Brock,et al.  A compliant hand based on a novel pneumatic actuator , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[10]  Daniela Rus,et al.  Whole arm planning for a soft and highly compliant 2D robotic manipulator , 2014, 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[11]  Oliver Brock,et al.  A Novel Type of Compliant, Underactuated Robotic Hand for Dexterous Grasping , 2014, Robotics: Science and Systems.

[12]  Heinrich M. Jaeger,et al.  JSEL: Jamming Skin Enabled Locomotion , 2009, 2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[13]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Soft Lithography. , 1998, Angewandte Chemie.

[14]  B Mazzolai,et al.  An octopus-bioinspired solution to movement and manipulation for soft robots , 2011, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.

[15]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  A Hybrid Combining Hard and Soft Robots , 2014 .

[16]  Daniela Rus,et al.  A Recipe for Soft Fluidic Elastomer Robots , 2015, Soft robotics.

[17]  Jonathan E. Clark,et al.  Fast and Robust: Hexapedal Robots via Shape Deposition Manufacturing , 2002 .

[18]  D. Rus,et al.  Design, fabrication and control of soft robots , 2015, Nature.

[19]  Ian D. Walker,et al.  Soft robotics: Biological inspiration, state of the art, and future research , 2008 .

[20]  George M. Whitesides,et al.  Towards a soft pneumatic glove for hand rehabilitation , 2013, 2013 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[21]  Jing Xiao,et al.  A general formulation and approach to constrained, continuum manipulation , 2015, Adv. Robotics.

[22]  Jamie L. Branch,et al.  Robotic Tentacles with Three‐Dimensional Mobility Based on Flexible Elastomers , 2013, Advanced materials.

[23]  Koji Ikuta,et al.  Safety-Active Catheter with Multiple-Segments Driven by Micro-hydraulic Actuators , 2002, MICCAI.

[24]  Cagdas D. Onal,et al.  Design and control of a soft and continuously deformable 2D robotic manipulation system , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

[25]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Pneumatic Networks for Soft Robotics that Actuate Rapidly , 2014 .

[26]  G. Whitesides,et al.  Soft Machines That are Resistant to Puncture and That Self Seal , 2013, Advanced materials.

[27]  Robert J. Webster,et al.  Design and Kinematic Modeling of Constant Curvature Continuum Robots: A Review , 2010, Int. J. Robotics Res..