Quasi-static Manipulation

Quasi-static manipulation assumes that motion is slow enough that inertial and dynamic forces are negligible — the system is effectively in static equilibrium at each instant. This simplification enables tractable contact mechanics modeling for planning pushing, sliding, pivoting, and in-hand regrasping actions. Many robot manipulation benchmarks (including most tabletop pick-and-place tasks) operate in the quasi-static regime. When tasks involve fast throws, dynamic catches, or high-speed assembly, quasi-static assumptions break down and full rigid-body dynamics with contact simulation (e.g., MuJoCo, Isaac Sim) are required.