Nonprehensile manipulation can play a significant role in complex robotic scenarios, especially for maneuvering non-graspable objects. A big challenge is to construct a robust skill for pushing highly-diverse objects. We present a strategy for pushing unknown objects that differ widely in their properties. For this purpose we introduce the concept of a pushing corridor for cluttered environments that leaves the robot sufficient space for corrective motions. We propose a reactive manipulation skill for pushing objects along this collision-free corridor. The motion of the robot is generated and adapted on the fly based on the observed reactions of the object in response to pushing actions. Our results show that the robot is able to successfully push objects in various complex scenarios.
['Senka Krivic', 'Emre Ugur', 'Justus H. Piater']
A robust pushing skill for object delivery between obstacles