This paper presents a new type of distributed dexterous manipulator: delta arrays. Our delta array setup consists of 64 linearly-actuated delta robots with 3D-printed compliant linkages. Through the design of the individual delta robots, the modular array structure, and distributed communication and control, we study a wide range of in-plane and out-of-plane manipulations, as well as prehensile manipulations among subsets of neighboring delta robots. We also demonstrate dexterous manipulation capabilities of the delta array using reinforcement learning while leveraging the compliance to not break the end-effectors. Our evaluations show that the resulting 192 DoF compliant robot is capable of performing various coordinated distributed manipulations of a variety of objects, including translation, alignment, prehensile squeezing, lifting, and grasping.

翻译：本文提出了一种新型的分布式灵巧操控器：Delta阵列。我们的Delta阵列系统由64个线性驱动、带有3D打印柔性连杆的Delta机器人组成。通过单个Delta机器人的设计、模块化阵列结构以及分布式通信与控制，我们研究了大范围面内和面外操控，以及相邻Delta机器人子集间的抓取操控。我们还利用强化学习展示了Delta阵列的灵巧操控能力，同时借助柔性特性避免末端执行器损坏。评估结果表明，这个具有192自由度的柔性机器人能够对多种物体执行各种协调的分布式操控，包括平移、对齐、抓取挤压、抬升和抓握。