This video describes an observer-based approach for estimating the wrench (force and moment) acting on a 3D elastic rod, using pose states (i.e. robot shape) along the rod as input/feedback. First, the static rod is considered as
a dynamical system evolving its states in spatial dimension, Koopman operator theory is adopted to derive an explicit discrete-arclength model for the rod. Then, Extended Kalman Filter is applied to the derived model to estimate wrench states along the rod. Static balance constraints between pose and wrench are enforced to improve force estimation performance.
