Constrained Motion Planning for Flipping Sticklike Objects This paper presents a constrained motion planning to flip objects grasped considering softfinger contact while avoiding rotational slip (or namely drooping). The drooping motion in inclined planes is studied under the effect of the object weight and the friction torque exerted by soft fingertips. The analytical model of the drooping motion is derived and used in the proposed constrained planner to restrict the robot poses that can cause the object held by the gripper to slip. The constrained planner is analyzed and verified through both simulation and realworld experiments. The results show that the generated robot motion sequences enable correct execution of the flipping task while avoiding slip.

Dynamic FlexandFlip Manipulation of Deformable Linear Objects This paper presents the technique of flexandflip manipulation. It is suitable for grasping thin, flexible linear objects lying on a flat surface. During the manipulation process, the object is first flexed by a robotic gripper whose fingers are placed on top of it, and later the increased internal energy of the object helps the gripper obtain a stable pinch grasp while the object flips into the space between the fingers. The dynamic interaction between the flexible object and the gripper is elaborated by analyzing how energy is exchanged. We also discuss the condition on friction to prevent loss of contact. Our flexandflip manipulation technique can be implemented with openloop control and lends itself to underactuated, compliant finger mechanism. A set of experiments in robotic page turning performed with our customized hardware and software system demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of the manipulation technique.