Grasp and transport control for a chopsticks-type robot using work control

Abstract

In this paper, we first propose a method of work control to maintain a constant amount of work done by the robot on an object. The work control has a function that can appropriately and autonomously changes the target value of torque for grasping in accordance with the softness of the object. Next, the method of work control and a method for changing the control mode based on position and force errors, called the ‘SCOME method’, are applied to a two-fingered robot hand composed of elastic joints, which is called a chopsticks-type robot. Furthermore, various grasp and transport control experiments are conducted using the chopsticks-type robot to manipulate cylindrical objects with different rigidities. The experimental results illustrate the validity of grasp and transport control and work control for the chopsticks-type robot.