Path Planning for 3-D In-Hand Manipulation of Micro-Objects Using Rotation Decomposition.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Micro/Nanotechnology
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Robotic manipulation and assembly of micro/nanocomponents in confined spaces presents significant challenges.
• Existing industrial robotics-inspired solutions lack the required precision, compactness, dexterity, and high blocking forces for micro/nanoscale tasks.
• Previous work addressed 2-D dexterous manipulation considering micro/nanoscale adhesion forces, but direct 3-D extension proved exponentially complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel approach for planning 3-D dexterous in-hand manipulation with a manageable increase in complexity.
• To enable precise robotic handling of micro and nanocomponents in three dimensions within confined environments.
• To address the limitations of current methods in achieving dexterity, precision, and compactness for micro/nanoscale assembly.

Main Methods:

• Decomposition of 3-D motion into a 3-D translation and three rotations around object-specific axes.
• Development of a planning algorithm for 3-D in-hand manipulation.
• Simulation of micro-manipulation tasks incorporating adhesion forces.

Main Results:

• The proposed approach allows for the planning of 3-D dexterous in-hand manipulation with a moderate increase in complexity compared to 2-D methods.
• Simulation results demonstrate successful planning of 3-D in-hand dexterous micro-manipulation for arbitrary objects.
• The planning process for complex 3-D micro-manipulation tasks, including adhesion forces, can be achieved in a matter of seconds.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers an efficient solution for planning 3-D dexterous in-hand manipulation of micro/nanocomponents.
• This approach significantly reduces the complexity associated with extending 2-D manipulation strategies to 3-D.
• The findings pave the way for more advanced robotic assembly of micro and nanocomponents in challenging environments.