Dynamic analysis of planar manipulation tasks

The author presents two algorithms that construct a set of initial configurations from which a given action will reliably accomplish a planar manipulation task. The first algorithm applies energy arguments to construct a conservative set of successful initial configurations, while the second algorithm performs numerical integration to construct a set that is much less conservative. The algorithms may be applied to a variety of tasks, including pushing, placing-by-dropping, and force-controlled assembly tasks. Both algorithms consider the task geometry and mechanics, and allow uncertainty in every task parameter except for the object shapes. Experimental results which demonstrate the validity of the algorithms output for two example manipulation tasks are presented