Motion planning of robot fingertips for graspless manipulation

In this paper, we present a method of motion planning of multiple robot fingertips for graspless (or nonprehensile) manipulation. The method can automatically generate various graspless operations, including pushing and tumbling. By considering whether each robot finger should be position- or force-controlled, we can obtain robust manipulation plans against external disturbances. Some examples of planned graspless manipulation of a cuboid by two robot fingers are presented. We also show an experimental result of execution of planned graspless manipulation by a robot with a multi-fingered hand.