Manipulating a flat object against stationary barrier using airflows

Distributed manipulation using passive air flows generally produces multiple equilibria. In this paper, a straight stationary barrier is considered in a manipulation problem using passive air flows. Such a system simplifies equilibrium analysis but raises problems on contact modes, rolling or sliding. Coulomb´s friction model is employed to solve contact modes when an object sits on a straight barrier. This paper illustrates the relationship between contact modes and the location of a flow sink with respect to location of the straight barrier. Although the friction coefficient is poorly estimated, numerical prediction of contact modes quite well agrees with experimental results