Abstract
Since decades, industrial robots are capable of grasping and manipulating rigid objects. This is possible because the geometry and position of such objects is known beforehand by the control software. For service robots, the task is more challenging, since it requires the robot to know all types of objects present in the environment (e.g., in an apartment) and to recognize them on the fly to automatically determine the manipulation strategy. Manipulating flexible objects is even more difficult, since along with their position, their shape also varies depending on the applied forces and on their physical properties. Yet, this task is paramount in many fields, spanning from construction to food industry and surgery. This essay reviews applications, challenges, past research works and perspectives of flexible robot manipulation.