Dynamic Cloth Folding By High-Speed Multifingered Hands
High-Speed multifingered robotic hands are now able to flip-fold a towel almost as well as you can. Take a look at the video below.
(Dynamic Cloth Folding Video
By High-Speed Multifingered Hands)
The University of Tokyo's Ishikawa Oku Laboratory has been studying real-world activities of human beings, and then uses parallel processing for sensory information to perform tasks at high speed.
The purpose of this paper is dynamic manipulation of sheet flexible object. As one example of dynamic manipulations of sheet flexible object, dynamic folding of a cloth with two high-speed multifingered hands mounted on sliders system will be carried out. First, the dynamic folding by a human is analyzed in order to extract the necessary motion for achievement of this task. Second, a model of sheet flexible object will be proposed by extending the linear flexible object model (algebra equation) using high-speed motion. Third, the motion planning of the robot system will be performed by using the proposed model and the simulation result will be shown. Finally, the experiment with the trajectory obtained by the simulation will be executed.
Fans of Philip K. Dick may recall the handicloset from his 1965 novel The Zap Gun, which was able to catch and put away thrown articles of clothing.
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