Fast dextrous regrasping with optimal contact forces and contact sensor-based impedance control

This paper presents an approach to fast object manipulation by dextrous regrasping of multi-fingered hands. The approach is based on a real-time grasping force optimization algorithm (GFO) and a fingertip impedance control scheme. Both the controller and the GFO make use of 6D contact force sensor data at run-time. The latter keeps contact forces as small as possible while considering friction limits at the contact points during (re)grasping. The impedance controller is used to impose optimized contact forces onto the grasped object while simultaneously enabling active control of the fingertip positions. Experiments demonstrate the robustness of the approach and the increase in task speed during multi-fingered manipulation.