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GRASP Lab Seminar 2004-2005
October 29, 11:00 AM, Levine Hall 307.
Dennis
Hong
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
Contact Force Distribution for Robotics Hand Grasping and Multi-limbed Robots
Abstract: One of the inherent problems of robotic hand grasping and multi-limbed mobile robotic systems is the problem of multi-contact force distribution; the contact forces and moments at the feet or finger tips required to support it and those required by its tasks are indeterminate. In this talk, an analytical method for finding the optimal solution for the contact force distribution of multi-limbed robots with three feet in contact with the environment is presented. Using geometric properties of the friction cones at the contact points and by simple manipulation of their conic sections, the whole solution space which satisfies the static equilibrium and friction constraints at each foot contact point is found first. Then the optimal solution is found by defining a cuboid which inscribes the solution space represented by the "solution volume representation" and then finding its center point which is defined as the optimal solution for robustness. Unlike other methods which use some flavor of optimization techniques that make it slow, the presented method is analytical thus the solution is found almost instantaneously, making it practical for real time applications. The method also provides an intuitive visual map of how well the solution space is formed for the given conditions of the system, and graphically shows the quality of the chosen optimal solution.
Biography: Dennis W. Hong is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. He received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994, his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1999 and 2002, respectively. Dr. Hong's research interests lie in the area of design, analysis and simulation of mechanical systems, robotics and automation, kinematics, and dynamics. Dr. Hong is a two-time recipient of the Magoon Award (1998 and 1999) for excellence in teaching at Purdue University, won the ASPIRES Award (2004) at Virginia Tech, and the NASA Class 1 New Technology Award (2001) for the invention of a novel method of plant micro propagation. Dr. Hong also has patents for a device for medical applications.
