Live-constraint-based control for contact transitions

The concept and theoretical derivation of a new, continuous controller for contact transition tasks was presented earlier by Sarkar et al. (1996). The design of this new controller was derived based on an analysis of impulsive constraints. Unlike other control methods that require switching control strategies before and after contacts, this design is able to accomplish contact transition tasks with a single control strategy, avoiding control discontinuities. In this paper, the proposed controller design is further developed, and results from computer simulation and physical experiments are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the controller design