The quasistatic motions of a three-body system on a plane

A controlled three-body system on a horizontal plane with dry friction is considered. The interaction forces between each pair of bodies are controls that are not subject to prior constraints but must be chosen in such a way that the motions of the system generated by them are quasistatic, that is, the total force acting on each of the bodies must be close to zero. All motions in which one body moves and the other two are fixed are found in the class of quasistatic motions. The problem of the optimal displacement of a moving body between two specified positions, on a plane such that the absolute magnitude of the work of the friction forces along the trajectory is a minimum is solved. The quasistatic controllability of a three-body system is demonstrated and algorithms for bringing it into a specified position are discussed. The system considered simulates a mobile robot consisting of three bodies between which control forces act that can be realized by linear motors. The sizes of the bodies are assumed to be negligibly small compared with the distances between them so that the bodies are treated as particles. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.