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.