2024/03/19 by Hayden M. Webb, Webb, Hayden, Podshara Chanrungmaneekul +5
Engineering · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Robot Manipulation and Learning #Robotics (cs.RO) #Soft Robotics and Applications #Teleoperation and Haptic Systems
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2403.13132
openalex publication_date 2024/03/19 · openalex created_date 2024/03/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In-hand manipulation is a crucial ability for reorienting and repositioning objects within grasps. The main challenges in this are not only the complexity of the computational models, but also the risks of grasp instability caused by active finger motions, such as rolling, sliding, breaking, and remaking contacts. This paper presents the development of the Roller Ring (RR), a modular robotic attachment with active surfaces that is wearable by both robot and human hands to manipulate without lifting a finger. By installing the angled RRs on hands, such that their spatial motions are not colinear, we derive a general differential motion model for manipulating objects. Our motion model shows that complete in-hand manipulation skill sets can be provided by as few as only 2 RRs through non-holonomic object motions, while more RRs can enable enhanced manipulation dexterity with fewer motion constraints. Through extensive experiments, we test the RRs on both a robot hand and a human hand to evaluate their manipulation capabilities. We show that the RRs can be employed to manipulate arbitrary object shapes to provide dexterous in-hand manipulation.