Research in Progress

Contact-Rich Bimanual Manipulation

Clinton Enwerem, John S. Baras, and Calin Belta

Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park

Coordinated Manipulation Through Sustained Contact

Dexterous bimanual manipulation requires coordinated motion and sustained contact as objects move, interact, and are released. We study articulated door opening, part insertion, and constrained object relocation using the A7-L6 bimanual robot manipulator. The demonstrations below present task execution in MuJoCo. Door opening requires motion consistent with the door’s hinge; insertion requires part–housing alignment and housing support; constrained relocation requires clearing a passive flap before transferring the object. The three examples emphasize how the robot coordinates object motion with the surrounding mechanical constraints.

The robot opens an articulated door, inserts a part into a supported housing, and relocates an object while keeping a passive flap clear of its path. Excerpts play at the original execution speed.

Contact-Rich Bimanual Tasks

The A7-L6 bimanual robot manipulator executes the following tasks in MuJoCo. The insertion and object-relocation recordings combine the workspace view with simulated torso and external camera views. Videos play at the original execution speed.

Articulated Door Opening

The robot establishes contact with the door panel and opens the door about its hinge before maintaining the target opening.

Bimanual Key–Housing Insertion

The robot acquires the part, aligns it with the movable housing, and completes insertion before releasing the part. Bimanual coordination maintains housing support and part–housing alignment throughout insertion.

Constrained Object Relocation

The robot manipulates the passive flap to clear the transfer path, lifts and relocates the object into the target box, and releases it after placement.