# Model-Free Large-Scale Cloth Spreading With Mobile Manipulation: Initial Feasibility Study

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.10401 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.10401/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 21 Aug 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Interactive Navigation in Environments with Traversable Obstacles Using Large Language and Vision-Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08873/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Cloth manipulation is common in domestic and service tasks, and most studies use fixed-base manipulators to manipulate objects whose sizes are relatively small with respect to the manipulators' workspace, such as towels, shirts, and rags. In contrast, manipulation of large-scale cloth, such as bed making and tablecloth spreading, poses additional challenges of reachability and manipulation control. To address them, this paper presents a novel framework to spread large-scale cloth, with a single-arm mobile manipulator that can solve the reachability issue, for an initial feasibility study. On the manipulation control side, without modeling highly deformable cloth, a vision-based manipulation control scheme is applied and based on an online-update Jacobian matrix mapping from selected feature points to the end-effector motion. To coordinate the control of the manipulator and mobile platform, Behavior Trees (BTs) are used because of their modularity. Finally, experiments are conducted, including validation of the model-free manipulation control for cloth spreading in different conditions and the large-scale cloth spreading framework. The experimental results demonstrate the large-scale cloth spreading task feasibility with a single-arm mobile manipulator and the model-free deformation controller.