
60
3.
Manipulation
Again, we do not try to build a tactile model of the robot's
surroundings and then plan a path through it. Rather, the overall
pattern of actions is determined on the fly by the specific
configuration of the environment.
The collective behavior of this level bears a passing
similarity to the generalized damper control scheme [Lozano-
Pérez, Mason, and Taylor 84; Erdmann 85]. In these systems an
arm is given some velocity vector to follow. If the arm contacts a
surface and is unable to move directly along the commanded
direction, the velocity error is transformed into a force normal to
the surface. The manipulator is still