Simultaneous estimation of contact position and tool shape using an unscented particle filter

Abstract

The robots used in our daily lives come in contact with the environment not only directly, but also through grasped objects and tools. In such cases, the shape of the grasped objects could be unknown or uncertain; thus, the shape must be estimated using information about the contact. However, previous studies could not estimate the shape of the grasped objects without knowledge about the contact environment. In this study, unscented particle filters were used to estimate the contact positions, contact forces, and shape of the tools, simultaneously. In addition, we verified that the proposed method can estimate these characteristics by measuring the force and torque in the robots.