Bipedal gait like motions of a thin viscoelastic object

Abstract

This paper discusses a dynamic nonprehensile manipulation of a thin deformable object and its rotational behavior similarity to bipedal gaits toward an effective rotation. A rigid plate end-effector at the tip of a high-speed manipulator can remotely manipulate an object without grasping it. We make use of a simulation model in order to approximate the dynamic characteristics of a thin deformable object on a plate. In this simulation model, we used the parameters estimated from a slice of cheese, as a sample of a real deformable object. Through simulation analysis we show how the object changes its rotational behavior with an analogy to the motion of bipedal gaits sliding, walking, and running. We investigate how the friction between the plate and the object influences the object's angular velocity. We show that an optimum friction point exists and that it is determined based on the object's rotational behavior.