Algorithms for Constructing Immobilizing Fixtures and Grasps of Three-Dimensional Objects

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The research addresses the problem of immobilizing a three- dimensional object through a few contacts with simple modular components, with applications in manufacturing fixture design and robotic grasping. The proposed approach is based on the kinematic notion of second-order immobility introduced by Rimon and Burdick. From a practical point of view, the planned research is motivated by its applications in small-batch manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and on-demand manufacturing . The scientific objectives are (1) to develop efficient algorithms for automatically enumerating all of the fixture/gripper configurations and the corresponding workpiece positions and orientations for which a truely three-dimensional workpiece will be completely immobilized; (2) to develop grasp and fixture planning strategies capable of handling positioning uncertainty during grasping and fixture loading operations; and (3) more generally, to develop general analytical tools for holding and manipulating complex three-dimensional shapes with devices having a mixture of discrete and continuous degrees of freedom. The process achieved in this project will be assessed by conducting experiments with actual fixtures and the prototype of a novel automatically reconfigurable gripper.