Mechanics, Planning, and Control for Tapping

Abstract

We present analysis and experimental demonstration of manipulation by tapping. Our problem domain is positioning planar parts on a support surface by a sequence of taps; each tap imparts some initial velocities to the object, which then slides until it comes to rest due to friction. We formulate the mechanics of tapping for circular axisymmetric objects, show how to plan a single tap and a sequence of taps to reach a goal configuration, and present feedback control methods to robustly accomplish positioning tasks. With these methods, we have experimentally demonstrated positioning tasks using tapping, including high-precision positioning tasks in which the object is positioned more precisely than the tapping actuator. We show stability and sensitivity analysis in support of these results.