Towards Manipulation Planning for Multiple Interlinked Deformable Linear Objects

Manipulation of deformable linear objects (DLO) has potential applications in aerospace and automotive assembly. The current literature on planning for deformable objects focuses on a single DLO at a time. In this paper, we provide a problem formulation for attaching a set of interlinked DLOs to a support structure through a set of clamping points. We also present a prototype algorithm that generates a solution in terms of primitive manipulation actions. The algorithm guarantees that none of the interlink constraints are violated. Finally, we incorporate gravity in the computation of a DLO shape and propose a property linking geometrically similar cable shapes across the space of cable length and stiffness. This property allows for computation of solutions for unit length and scaling of the solutions to appropriate length, thus potentially making shape computations faster.