Feel the Tension: Manipulation of Deformable Linear Objects in Environments with Fixtures using Force Information

TL;DR

This paper introduces a force-based manipulation method for deformable linear objects that relies on a simplified model and primitives, enabling blind manipulation in complex tasks like cable harnessing.

Contribution

It proposes a reduced DLO model and elementary primitives for blind manipulation using force sensing, demonstrated on a dual-arm robot in real-world tasks.

Findings

Force-based perception suffices for complex DLO manipulation

The model and primitives enable winding and other motions

Successful real-world cable harness task execution

Abstract

Humans are able to manipulate Deformable Linear Objects (DLOs) such as cables and wires, with little or no visual information, relying mostly on force sensing. In this work, we propose a reduced DLO model which enables such blind manipulation by keeping the object under tension. Further, an online model estimation procedure is also proposed. A set of elementary sliding and clipping manipulation primitives are defined based on our model. The combination of these primitives allows for more complex motions such as winding of a DLO. The model estimation and manipulation primitives are tested individually but also together in a real-world cable harness production task, using a dual-arm YuMi, thus demonstrating that force-based perception can be sufficient even for such a complex scenario.