Free surface
Related papers: 20
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A free surface refers to the boundary interface between a liquid and another fluid (typically air) or between a deformable material and open space, where the surface shape is not mechanically constrained and can evolve dynamically in response to forces. In robotics and AI, free surface phenomena appear across several domains: robot manipulators carrying open liquid containers must suppress sloshing dynamics to achieve spill-free transport; underwater and surface robots encounter free surface hydrodynamic effects that alter propulsive efficiency of fins and foils; spray-painting and polishing robots must plan trajectories across free-form curved surfaces; and soft robotic systems exploit dynamically deformable material surfaces for haptics and actuation. Controlling or accurately modeling free surfaces typically requires solving coupled fluid-structure or geometric problems, using techniques such as input shaping, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, and parametric surface discretization. Free surface understanding matters because ignoring these effects leads to degraded manipulation performance, inaccurate hydrodynamic predictions, and poor trajectory execution, while mastering them enables safer liquid handling, more efficient aquatic locomotion, and higher-quality surface finishing in industrial automation.
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Top Cited Papers
Magnetic Liquid Metals Manipulated in the Three-Dimensional Free Space
Liang Hu, Xiaofei Wang, Xiao Liu, Jiarui Guo, Jing Liu
Citations: 160 • 2019
Control for slosh-free motion of an open container
John T. Feddema, Clark R. Dohrmann, Gordon G. Parker, Rush D. Robinett, Vicente Romero, D.J. Schmitt
Citations: 142 • 1997
Protruding organic surfaces triggered by in-plane electric fields
Danqing Liu, Nicholas B. Tito, Dirk J. Broer
Citations: 69 • 2017
Computation of Shortest Paths on Free-Form Parametric Surfaces
Takashi Maekawa
Citations: 50 • 1996
A comparison of maneuver optimization and input shaping filters for robotically controlled slosh-free motion of an open container of liquid
John Feddema, Clark R. Dohrmann, Gordon G. Parker, Rush D. Robinett, Vicente Romero, D.J. Schmitt
Citations: 29 • 1997
Spill-Free Transfer and Stabilization of Viscous Liquid
Iasson Karafyllis, Miroslav Krstić
Citations: 22 • 2022
Robotically controlled slosh-free motion of an open container of liquid
John Feddema, Clark R. Dohrmann, Gordon G. Parker, Rush D. Robinett, Vicente Romero, D.J. Schmitt
Citations: 19 • 2002
Surface Modeling of Workpiece and Tool Trajectory Planning for Spray Painting Robot
Yang Tang, Wei Chen
Citations: 16 • 2015
Sloshing Dynamics Estimation for Liquid-filled Containers under 2-Dimensional Excitation
Roberto Di Leva, Marco Carricato, Hubert Gattringer, Andreas Müller
Citations: 16 • 2021
Sloshing dynamics estimation for liquid-filled containers performing 3-dimensional motions: modeling and experimental validation
Roberto Di Leva, Marco Carricato, Hubert Gattringer, Andreas Müller
Citations: 12 • 2022
Research on discretization algorithm of free-form surface for robotic polishing
Linqiang Gong, Cheng Fan, Zhi Shen, Zhang Chen, Lei Zhang
Citations: 11 • 2023
Numerical study of the influence of hydrofoil hydrodynamic performance considering near-free surface
Yuanhui Wei, Jianing Zhang, Kaihao Liu, Jiazhen Pan, Lei Zhang, Weimin Chen, Qingshan Zhang
Citations: 8 • 2025
Pitching foil propulsion performance decays near the free surface
Francisco Huera-Huarte
Citations: 7 • 2023
Probing Hydrodynamic Fluctuation-Induced Forces with an Oscillating Robot
Steven W. Tarr, Joseph S. Brunner, Daniel Soto, Daniel I. Goldman
Citations: 5 • 2024
Hydrodynamic performance of two-dimensional undulating fins under flow excitation near the free surface in three-dimensional numerical tank
Chenxiang Liu, Xiantao Zhang
Citations: 5 • 2025
Concept verification of three dimensional free motion simulator for space robot
Osamu Okamoto, Teruomi Nakaya, Brett J. Pokines
Citations: 5 • 1994
A Kinematic Controller for Liquid Pouring between Vessels Modelled with Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics
Gabriel Camporredondo, Ramón Barber, Mathieu Legrand, Lourdes Muñoz
Citations: 3 • 2019
Automation of Chamfering by an Industrial Robot; For the Case of Hole on a Free Curved Surface
Naoki Asakawa, Kenji Toda, Yoshimi TAKEUCHI
Citations: 2 • 2000
Dynamical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Water Discharge Process of Spherical Objects
Lin Zhong, Jiawei Dong, Jiabin Liu, Wei Wang, Riyue Wu, Shuqi Wang, Tao Zhang
Citations: 2 • 2023
Control for Slosh-Free of an Open Container
John T. Feddema, Clark R. Dohrmann, Gordon G. Parker, Rush D. Robinett, Vicente Romero, D.J. Schmitt
Citations: 2 • 1997