Racket control for robot playing table tennis ball

This paper proposes a racket control method for returning a table tennis ball to a reference position with a desired translational/ rotational velocity. The method determines the racket´s state, i.e., the racket´s striking posture and translational velocity by using two physical models: racket rebound model and aerodynamics model. The paper makes clear what the racket can control among the reference position, translational and rotational velocities. The algorithm of determining the racket´s state is derived by solving nonlinear equations and solving two points problems of differential equation. Two approximate aerodynamic models are proposed for real-time treatments. Then numerical simulations show effectiveness of the proposed methods.