In-hand manipulation using three-stages open loop pivoting

In this paper we propose a method for pivoting an object held by a parallel gripper, without requiring accurate dynamical models or advanced hardware. Our solution uses the motion of the robot arm for generating inertial forces to move the object. It also controls the rotational friction at the pivoting point by commanding a desired distance to the gripper's fingers. This method relies neither on fast and precise tracking systems to obtain the position of the tool, nor on real-time and high-frequency controllable robotic grippers to quickly adjust the finger distance. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method by applying it on a Baxter robot.