On the control of a one degree-of-freedom juggling robot

This paper is devoted to the feedback control of a one degree-of-freedom (d of) juggling robot, considered as a subclass of mechanical systems subject to a unilateral constraint. The proposed approach takes into account the wh ole dynamics of the system, and focuses on the design of a force input. It consists of a family of hybrid feedback control laws, that allow to stabili ze the object around some desired (periodic or not) trajectory. The closed- loop behavior in presence of various disturbances is studied. Despite good robustness properties, the importance of good knowledge of the system param eters, like the restitution coefficient, is highlighted. Besides its theore tical interest concerning the control of a class of mechanical systems subj ect to unilateral constraints, this study has potential applications in non -prehensile manipulation, extending pushing robotic tasks to striking-and-p ushing tasks.