The free configuration space of a Kirchhoff elastic rod is path-connected

In this paper, we show that the free configuration space of a Kirchhoff elastic rod is path-connected. By free configuration space, we mean the set of all equilibrium configurations of the rod that are stable (i.e. locally minimize elastic potential energy) and do not experience self-intersections. We also provide semi-analytical expressions for paths in the free configuration space that connect any two stable equilibrium configurations that do not contain self-intersections. These results are applied to the problem of manipulation planning for deformable objects.