Jacobian-based control of soft robots for manipulation using implicit surface models
Name
1017567043-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
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5.8 MB
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Adobe PDF
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608c95a4a20c97bc2b1a58a77fa544e5
Author(s)
Mirano, Geronimo (Geronimo J.)
Advisor(s)
Russ Tedrake.
Date Issued
2017
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Soft robot hands offer numerous advantages over rigid ones for manipulation, including robustness and safety. Yet, compared to rigid robots, soft robots are characterized by continuous mechanics, and finite-element approximations with many degrees of freedom present a significant obstacle for modern control approaches. The central question my thesis explores is whether we can capture the benefits of soft robot hands with relatively simple dynamical models. Specifically, we demonstrate a very simple model of a 2D soft manipulator that uses pulleys and cables to model deformable surfaces. This model captures much of the qualitative behavior of soft membranes, while also proving amenable to modern control techniques. We validate this model physically using a hardware set-up. We then demonstrate a simple quasi-static Jacobian controller which solves a second-order cone program to achieve the task of in-hand object repositioning.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2017.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 47).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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