This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of recent advancements in modelling and autonomous manipulation of non-rigid objects. It first summarizes the recent advances in sensing and modelling of such objects with a focus on describing the methods and technologies used to measure their shape and estimate their material and physical properties. Formal representations considered to predict the deformation resulting from manipulation of non-rigid objects are then investigated. The third part provides a survey of planning and control strategies exploited to operate dexterous robotic systems while performing various tasks on objects made of different non-rigid materials.

Dexterous robotic manipulation of complex nonrigid objects is a requirement for automating many delicate tasks. This work explores various sensing and modeling strategies for tracking the 3D shape of objects during manipulation, allowing for more accurate and responsive planning and control of robotic manipulators. These approaches are evaluated in terms of their ability to correctly capture the behaviour of non-rigid objects as well as their computational complexity, which is strongly constrained by the need for real-time control on robotic platforms with limited computing power.