Experiments in object impedance control for flexible objects

This paper presents a control strategy for manipulation of flexible objects by multiple robot arms. The control policy developed in this paper for flexible objects is based on a controller developed previously for rigid objects: the object impedance controller. The controller compensates for the dynamics of both the arms and the object and responds to environmental forces with a fully programmable impedance relationship. For a class of flexible objects, the required extensions to object impedance control are outlined in this paper. The paper presents experimental results for a dual arm robotic system manipulating an object with a single flexible degree of freedom in both free-space and environmental contact tasks