Grasp Execution Without a Planner: Configuration-Space Grasp Distance Fields with Certified Safety & Guaranteed Quality

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2608.00600v3
• Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:35:01 GMT
• Title: Grasp Execution Without a Planner: Configuration-Space Grasp Distance Fields with Certified Safety & Guaranteed Quality
• Abstract summary: We present Grasp Distance Fields (GDFs), smooth softmin distances to finite sets of arm-hand grasp configurations.<n>We jointly select and execute grasps without planning a trajectory.<n>A CBF-CLF quadratic program enforces self-collision, workspace, object, and obstacle-clearance constraints.
• Score: 5.99447754429793
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Mainstream plan-then-track approaches to multifingered grasp execution entail selecting a grasp, planning a collision-free trajectory, and tracking the resulting trajectory via a feedback controller. Pose-estimation error during execution or scene motion can invalidate this open-loop commitment and trigger replanning. We thus present Grasp Distance Fields (GDFs), smooth softmin distances to finite sets of arm-hand grasp configurations. Using their negative gradients as feedback, we jointly select and execute grasps without planning a trajectory. A CBF-CLF quadratic program (QP) enforces self-collision, workspace, object, and obstacle-clearance constraints, while its CLF slack quantifies obstruction of task progress. We bound the softmin approximation error by $\log N/ρ$ and prove forward invariance of the filtered safe set. To handle changes in contact topology, we combine a hysteretic contact-mode transition with a wrench-quality CBF that limits degradation of the realized force-closure margin relative to hold onset. Using our method, a fixed-base manipulator and a Unitree G1 equipped with the same underactuated hand grasp and lift 46 of 50 test objects amid clutter and moving obstacles. The realized grasps also retain a median 94% of their synthesized quality margin, and each QP solve requires 0.09 ms within a 20 ms control interval. Project page: www.clintonenwerem.com/gdf.

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