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Main Authors: Li, Wei-Chen, Chou, Glen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13434
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author Li, Wei-Chen
Chou, Glen
author_facet Li, Wei-Chen
Chou, Glen
contents We present a computational framework for simulating filaments interacting with rigid bodies through contact. Filaments are challenging to simulate due to their codimensionality, i.e., they are one-dimensional structures embedded in three-dimensional space. Existing methods often assume that filaments remain permanently attached to rigid bodies. Our framework unifies discrete elastic rod (DER) modeling, a pressure field patch contact model, and a convex contact formulation to accurately simulate frictional interactions between slender filaments and rigid bodies - capabilities not previously achievable. Owing to the convex formulation of contact, each time step can be solved to global optimality, guaranteeing complementarity between contact velocity and impulse. We validate the framework by assessing the accuracy of frictional forces and comparing its physical fidelity against baseline methods. Finally, we demonstrate its applicability in both soft robotics, such as a stochastic filament-based gripper, and deformable object manipulation, such as shoelace tying, providing a versatile simulator for systems involving complex filament-filament and filament-rigid body interactions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_13434
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Convex Formulation of Compliant Contact between Filaments and Rigid Bodies
Li, Wei-Chen
Chou, Glen
Robotics
We present a computational framework for simulating filaments interacting with rigid bodies through contact. Filaments are challenging to simulate due to their codimensionality, i.e., they are one-dimensional structures embedded in three-dimensional space. Existing methods often assume that filaments remain permanently attached to rigid bodies. Our framework unifies discrete elastic rod (DER) modeling, a pressure field patch contact model, and a convex contact formulation to accurately simulate frictional interactions between slender filaments and rigid bodies - capabilities not previously achievable. Owing to the convex formulation of contact, each time step can be solved to global optimality, guaranteeing complementarity between contact velocity and impulse. We validate the framework by assessing the accuracy of frictional forces and comparing its physical fidelity against baseline methods. Finally, we demonstrate its applicability in both soft robotics, such as a stochastic filament-based gripper, and deformable object manipulation, such as shoelace tying, providing a versatile simulator for systems involving complex filament-filament and filament-rigid body interactions.
title A Convex Formulation of Compliant Contact between Filaments and Rigid Bodies
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13434