{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/113126"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/113126","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Jacobian-based control of soft robots for manipulation using implicit surface models","abstract":"Soft robot hands offer numerous advantages over rigid ones for manipulation, including robustness and safety. Yet, compared to rigid robots, soft robots are characterized by continuous mechanics, and finite-element approximations with many degrees of freedom present a significant obstacle for modern control approaches. The central question my thesis explores is whether we can capture the benefits of soft robot hands with relatively simple dynamical models. Specifically, we demonstrate a very simple model of a 2D soft manipulator that uses pulleys and cables to model deformable surfaces. This model captures much of the qualitative behavior of soft membranes, while also proving amenable to modern control techniques. We validate this model physically using a hardware set-up. We then demonstrate a simple quasi-static Jacobian controller which solves a second-order cone program to achieve the task of in-hand object repositioning.","abstract_html":"Soft robot hands offer numerous advantages over rigid ones for manipulation, including robustness and safety. Yet, compared to rigid robots, soft robots are characterized by continuous mechanics, and finite-element approximations with many degrees of freedom present a significant obstacle for modern control approaches. The central question my thesis explores is whether we can capture the benefits of soft robot hands with relatively simple dynamical models. Specifically, we demonstrate a very simple model of a 2D soft manipulator that uses pulleys and cables to model deformable surfaces. This model captures much of the qualitative behavior of soft membranes, while also proving amenable to modern control techniques. We validate this model physically using a hardware set-up. We then demonstrate a simple quasi-static Jacobian controller which solves a second-order cone program to achieve the task of in-hand object repositioning.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mirano, Geronimo (Geronimo J.)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Russ Tedrake."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017","date_published":"2017","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:55Z","subjects":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113126","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Russ Tedrake."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mirano, Geronimo (Geronimo J.)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2018-01-12T20:57:53Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-01-12T20:57:53Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2017"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113126"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2017.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (page 47)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Soft robot hands offer numerous advantages over rigid ones for manipulation, including robustness and safety. Yet, compared to rigid robots, soft robots are characterized by continuous mechanics, and finite-element approximations with many degrees of freedom present a significant obstacle for modern control approaches. The central question my thesis explores is whether we can capture the benefits of soft robot hands with relatively simple dynamical models. Specifically, we demonstrate a very simple model of a 2D soft manipulator that uses pulleys and cables to model deformable surfaces. This model captures much of the qualitative behavior of soft membranes, while also proving amenable to modern control techniques. We validate this model physically using a hardware set-up. We then demonstrate a simple quasi-static Jacobian controller which solves a second-order cone program to achieve the task of in-hand object repositioning."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["M. Eng."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Jacobian-based control of soft robots for manipulation using implicit surface models"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Russ Tedrake."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:creator":["Mirano, Geronimo (Geronimo J.)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2018-01-12T20:57:53Z"],"dc:date.available":["2018-01-12T20:57:53Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2017"],"dc:description":["Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2017.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (page 47)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Soft robot hands offer numerous advantages over rigid ones for manipulation, including robustness and safety. Yet, compared to rigid robots, soft robots are characterized by continuous mechanics, and finite-element approximations with many degrees of freedom present a significant obstacle for modern control approaches. The central question my thesis explores is whether we can capture the benefits of soft robot hands with relatively simple dynamical models. Specifically, we demonstrate a very simple model of a 2D soft manipulator that uses pulleys and cables to model deformable surfaces. This model captures much of the qualitative behavior of soft membranes, while also proving amenable to modern control techniques. We validate this model physically using a hardware set-up. We then demonstrate a simple quasi-static Jacobian controller which solves a second-order cone program to achieve the task of in-hand object repositioning."],"dc:description.degree":["M. Eng."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113126"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"dc:title":["Jacobian-based control of soft robots for manipulation using implicit surface models"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:55Z"}