Leaving on a plane jet

This is a continuation of our research on the Universal Planar Manipulator (UPM), a device capable of manipulating multiple generic objects with a single horizontally-vibrating, rigid plate (3 DOFs). Objects are propelled by sliding frictional forces developed against the vibrating plate. A special plate vibration creates an average force field called the "jet" which is local, i.e., it is only non-zero near its center. By applying jets at different objects\´ locations in succession, objects can be made to displace a small amount individually, enabling full parallel manipulation. In particular, a single object can leave on a plane jet, if the jet\´s center is made to track and its direction made aligned with that object\´s motion. We provide visualization of the jet with respect to changes in its center, orientation, and focus parameters. Described also are two experiments showing the UPM as a tangible-user interface (docking a beer can to the user\´s hand) and as a chess player (executing moves of an endgame)