Manipulating deformable linear objects: Attachable adjustment-motions for vibration reduction

This paper addresses the problem of handling deformable linear objects in a suitable way to avoid acute vibration. Different types of adjustment-motions that eliminate vibration of deformable objects and that can be attached to the end of an arbitrary end-effector’s trajectory are presented. For describing the dynamics of deformable linear objects, the finite element method is used to derive the dynamic differential equations. A genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal adjustment motion for each simulation example. Experiments are conducted to verify the presented manipulating method. 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.