A discrete-continuous control architecture for dextrous manipulation

This paper presents a hybrid discrete-continuous dynamical systems approach to multi-fingered grasping and regrasping. It is based on a hybrid modeling paradigm for multi-contact mechatronic systems. The three main components of our approach are a hybrid planning scheme for regrasping and hybrid error compensation, an on-line grasping force optimization algorithm, and a variable structure grasp impedance controller. Experimental results are presented to validate our approach to regrasping and to demonstrate the robustness improvement in grasping control.