Linear Delta Arrays for Compliant Dexterous Distributed Manipulation

TL;DR

This paper introduces delta arrays, a new distributed dexterous manipulator composed of 64 compliant delta robots, capable of complex coordinated manipulation tasks through reinforcement learning and modular design.

Contribution

The paper presents the design, control, and evaluation of a novel 192 DoF compliant delta array for versatile distributed manipulation tasks.

Findings

Capable of in-plane and out-of-plane manipulations

Successfully performs coordinated object handling

Leverages compliance to prevent damage during manipulation

Abstract

This paper presents a new type of distributed dexterous manipulator: delta arrays. Our delta array setup consists of 64 linearly-actuated delta robots with 3D-printed compliant linkages. Through the design of the individual delta robots, the modular array structure, and distributed communication and control, we study a wide range of in-plane and out-of-plane manipulations, as well as prehensile manipulations among subsets of neighboring delta robots. We also demonstrate dexterous manipulation capabilities of the delta array using reinforcement learning while leveraging the compliance to not break the end-effectors. Our evaluations show that the resulting 192 DoF compliant robot is capable of performing various coordinated distributed manipulations of a variety of objects, including translation, alignment, prehensile squeezing, lifting, and grasping.