The mechanics of fine manipulation by pushing

The author presents a method for determining the possible instantaneous motions of a sliding object during multiple contact pushing. The approach consists of two components: a kinematic analysis considering kinematic motion constraints, and a force analysis considering force constraints on the motion. A representation of the support friction of a sliding object is presented, and the results of the force analysis are independent of the exact support distribution of the object. The analysis results in a manipulation primitive: stable rotational pushing. This primitive may be used for precise placement operations by pushing.<
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