Flexible robotic manipulators pose various challenges in research as compared to rigid robotic manipulators, ranging from system design, structural optimization, and construction to modeling, sensing, and control. Although significant progress has been made in many aspects over the last one-and-a-half decades, many issues are not resolved yet, and simple, effective, and reliable controls of flexible manipulators still remain an open quest. Clearly, further efforts and results in this area will contribute significantly to robotics (particularly automation) as well as its application and education in general control engineering. To accelerate this process, the leading experts in this important area present in this book the state of the art in advanced studies of the design, modeling, control and applications of flexible manipulators.

The objective of this book is to provide those interested in the field of flexible robotics with an overview of several scientific and technological advances in the practical field of robotic manipulation. The different chapters examine various stages that involve a number of robotic devices, particularly those designed for manipulation tasks characterized by mechanical flexibility. Chapter 1 deals with the general context surrounding the design of functionally integrated microgripping systems. Chapter 2 focuses on the dual notations of modal commandability and observability, which play a significant role in the control authority of vibratory modes that are significant for control issues. Chapter 3 presents different modeling tools that allow the simultaneous use of energy and system structuring notations. Chapter 4 discusses two sensorless methods that could be used for manipulation in confined or congested environments. Chapter 5 analyzes several appropriate approaches for responding to the specific needs required by versatile prehension tasks and dexterous manipulation. After a classification of compliant tactile sensors focusing on dexterous manipulation, Chapter 6 discusses the development of a complying triaxial force sensor based on piezoresistive technology. Chapter 7 deals with the constraints imposed by submicrometric precision in robotic manipulation. Chapter 8 presents the essential stages of the modeling, identification and analysis of control laws in the context of serial manipulator robots with flexible articulations. Chapter 9 provides an overview of models for deformable body manipulators. Finally, Chapter 10 presents a set of contributions that have been made with regard to the development of methodologies for identification and control of flexible manipulators based on experimental data. Contents 1. Design of Integrated Flexible Structures for Micromanipulation, Mathieu Grossard, Mehdi Boukallel, Stéphane Régnier and Nicolas Chaillet. 2. Flexible Structures’ Representation and Notable Properties in Control, Mathieu Grossard, Arnaud Hubert, Stéphane Régnier and Nicolas Chaillet. 3. Structured Energy Approach for the Modeling of Flexible Structures, Nandish R. Calchand, Arnaud Hubert, Yann Le Gorrec and Hector Ramirez Estay. 4. Open-Loop Control Approaches to Compliant Micromanipulators, Yassine Haddab, Vincent Chalvet and Micky Rakotondrabe. 5. Mechanical Flexibility and the Design of Versatile and Dexterous Grippers, Javier Martin Amezaga and Mathieu Grossard. 6. Flexible Tactile Sensors for Multidigital Dexterous In-hand Manipulation, Mehdi Boukallel, Hanna Yousef, Christelle Godin and Caroline Coutier. 7. Flexures for High-Precision Manipulation Robots, Reymond Clavel, Simon Henein and Murielle Richard. 8. Modeling and Motion Control of Serial Robots with Flexible Joints, Maria Makarov and Mathieu Grossard. 9. Dynamic Modeling of Deformable Manipulators, Frédéric Boyer and Ayman Belkhiri. 10. Robust Control of Robotic Manipulators with Structural Flexibilities, Houssem Halalchi, Loïc Cuvillon, Guillaume Mercère and Edouard Laroche. About the Authors Mathieu Grossard, CEA LIST, Gif-sur-Yvette, France. Nicolas Chaillet, FEMTO-ST, Besançon, France. Stéphane Régnier, ISIR, UPMC, Paris, France.

When a person picks up a metal part and clamps it in the chuck of a lathe, he begins with his arm, proceeds with his wrist and finishes with his fingers. The arm brings the part near the chuck. The wrist positions the part, giving it the proper orientation to slide in. After the part is inserted, the wrist and fingers make tiny corrections to ensure that it is correctly seated. Today's robot attempting the same operations is at a grave disadvantage if it has to make all motions with the arm. The following work investigates the use of robotic wrists and hands to help industrial robots perform the fine motions needed in a metal working cell. Chapters 1 and 2 are an introduction to the field and a review of previous investigations on related subjects. Little work has been done on grasping and fine manipulation with a robot hand or wrist, but the related subjects of robot arm dynamics and control have an extensive literature.

This book provides state-of-the-art scientific and engineering research findings and developments in the area of mobile robotics and associated support technologies. It contains peer-reviewed articles presented at the CLAWAR 2008 conference. Robots are no longer confined to industrial manufacturing environments; rather, a great deal of interest is invested in the use of robots outside the factory environment. The CLAWAR conference series, established as a high-profile international event, acts as a platform for dissemination of research and development findings to address the current interest in mobile robotics in meeting the needs of mankind in various sectors of the society. These include personal care, public health, and services in the domestic, public and industrial environments. The editors of the book have extensive research experience and publications in the area of robotics in general, and in mobile robotics specifically.

For several decades now, mobile robots have been integral to the development of new robotic systems for new applications, even in nontechnical areas. Mobile robots have already been developed for such uses as industrial automation, medical care, space exploration, demining operations, surveillance, entertainment, museum guides and many other industrial and non-industrial applications. In some cases these products are readily available on the market. A considerable amount of literature is also available; not all of which pertains to technical issues, as listed in the chapters of this book and its companion. Readers will enjoy this book and its companion. They will utilize the knowledge gained with satisfaction and will be assisted by its content in their interdisciplinary work for engineering developments of mobile robots, in both old and new applications. This book and its companion can be used as a graduate level course book or a guide book for the practicing engineer who is working on a specific problem which is described in one of the chapters. The companion volume for this book, Designs and Prototypes of Mobile Robots, is also available from Momentum Press.

This book presents the theoretical research and application results of a study on flexible mechatronics (flexonics). Formulating distributed models in both time and spatial domains using a geometric approach, it presents a simple yet practical field-based sensing method for robotics and manufacturing, and illustrates its applications with examples such as exoskeletons, mobile sensor network and intelligent sensing.The book is of interest to researchers, engineers and graduate students in robotics, manufacturing and automation engineering who wish to learn the core principles, theories, technologies, and applications of flexonics.