<title>Grasp-oriented sensing and control</title>

Abstract

Many complex robot systems (multifingered manipulators, legged platforms and kinematically independent robots) can benefit from techniques which determine how to use environmental geometry to advantage in interaction tasks. To support sensing and control operations, we propose two model types: local geometric models and global force domain models. The former facilitates the consistent interpretation of sensor evidence, while the latter supports reasoning about contact interactions with the environment. An expressive means for describing grasp objectives and a control strategy for designing the geometry of contact mediated by force domain goals are presented. Methods for incremental geometric and force domain modeling are presented. Examples of constructive modeling and the use of these models for grasping and manipulation are included.