On the control of a one degree-of-freedom juggling robot (Q1283373)

The present paper treats the feedback control of a one degree-of-freedom juggling robot, considered as a subclass of mechanical systems subject to a unilateral constraint. The whole dynamics of the system is taken into account and one focuses on the design of a force input. The proposed approach consists of a family of hybrid feedback control laws that allow to stabilize the object around some desired trajectory. Besides the theoretical interest, this work has potential applications in non-prehensile manipulation, extending pushing robotic tasks to striking-and-pushing tasks.