Multi-Robot Object Transport Motion Planning with a Deformable Sheet

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel computational model and motion planning algorithm for multi-robot systems using a deformable sheet to transport objects in complex 3D environments, validated through simulations and experiments.

Contribution

It proposes the virtual variable cables model (VVCM) for simplified interaction modeling and develops a 3D motion planner for multi-robot object transport.

Findings

VVCM effectively models robot-sheet-object interactions.

The motion planner successfully navigates cluttered 3D environments.

Experimental results validate the approach's effectiveness and versatility.

Abstract

Using a deformable sheet to handle objects is convenient and found in many practical applications. For object manipulation through a deformable sheet that is held by multiple mobile robots, it is a challenging task to model the object-sheet interactions. We present a computational model and algorithm to capture the object position on the deformable sheet with changing robotic team formations. A virtual variable cables model (VVCM) is proposed to simplify the modeling of the robot-sheet-object system. With the VVCM, we further present a motion planner for the robotic team to transport the object in a three-dimensional (3D) cluttered environment. Simulation and experimental results with different robot team sizes show the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed VVCM. We also compare and demonstrate the planning results to avoid the obstacle in 3D space with the other benchmark planner.