A single robot with such a manipulator has limited manipulation capabilities, but in cooperation with other robots, it becomes a capable robotic system. One strategy for fine positioning is to tap an object, giving it some initial velocities, and letting it slide until it comes to rest due to friction. By repeating this process, objects can be positioned very precisely. We are building a robotic system to take advantage of this mode of manipulation.
Many applications require a sensor or actuator to be passed over a region.
We are investigating the coordination and motion planning of large numbers of multiple robots. This is computationally hard when coordinating tens or hundreds or robots. Applications include the collision-free coordination of manipulators in automotive workcells, AGVs in factories and at loading docks, and potentially, interactive graphics characters or digital choreography. Manipulation of Articulated Objects Manipulating nonrigid objects, such as pizza cartons, is a challenging problem. We are developing techniques for the robotic manipulation, motion planning, and design of articulated objects with many degrees of freedom.