Coordination of two robots manipulating a flat object with sliding constraints

In this paper, a new dynamic control algorithm is proposed for control of a two-arm robotic system sliding a flat object on a smooth supporting surface. Two manipulators press down on the object and manipulate it by applying tangential forces and rotational moments at the contacts. Assuming the contacts are axisymmetric, the article discusses two cases: non-sliding constraints and sliding constraints between the manipulators and the object. Based on this analysis, the kinematics and dynamics of the complete system is studied and a control law is proposed. In the case of sliding constraints, sensors are required to provide information of the contact position and force of the manipulators. The effectiveness of the control algorithm is verified by simulations.