Motion Planning for Nonprehensile Manipulation

This paper discusses the tipping condition for an object in nonprehensile manipulation under which the object can be accelerated while maintaining stability. Objects whose geometry is sensitive to small external forces are considered. The stability is defined in terms of angle with which center of gravity is displaced. The relationship between the angle with which center of gravity is displaced and maximum acceleration for the object to maintain the stability is formulated. In experimental validation, a rectangular plywood piece is used as a sample object and maximum acceleration for this object is calculated. A robotic manipulator is used to test and validate the maximum critical acceleration.