Wrapping a target with a tethered projectile

Abstract

A casting manipulator is a robot that launches a payload as a projectile then alters the ballistic trajectory by pulling on an attached tether. Prior work in casting manipulation has focused on applying impulses through the tether to place the payload at a specific location and then retract it. In the spirit of whole-body and whole-arm manipulation, we propose that the tether itself can be used to act on the environment, rather than serving only as a means of directing the projectile. As a first step in this direction, we consider the case of throwing an end-weighted line to wrap a target above and away from the launch point. We explore the necessary conditions for successfully wrapping a target, including the various types of wrapping and the conditions required to make these wraps.