Propeller Motion of a Devil-Stick using Normal Forcing
arXiv:2501.17789 · doi:10.1109/CCTA53793.2025.11151419
Abstract
The problem of realizing rotary propeller motion of a devil-stick in the vertical plane using forces purely normal to the stick is considered. This problem represents a nonprehensile manipulation task of an underactuated system. In contrast with previous approaches, the devil-stick is manipulated by controlling the normal force and its point of application. Virtual holonomic constraints are used to design the trajectory of the center-of-mass of the devil-stick in terms of its orientation angle, and conditions for stable propeller motion are derived. Intermittent large-amplitude forces are used to asymptotically stabilize a desired propeller motion. Simulations demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in realizing stable propeller motion without loss of contact between the actuator and devil-stick.
6 pages, 5 figures. This work has been accepted for publication in the proceedings of the 2025 IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications (CCTA)