Jacobian-based control of soft robots for manipulation using implicit surface models

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.