A method for pushing, with a force a tool at the end of an articulated arm against a surface with a normal, including the steps of: positioning the tool against the surface; applying an increasing force to the tool until reaching a value, corresponding to a fraction of the force, the value of the applied force being monitored; measuring the orientation of the tool with respect to the normal, after having reached the force value; and redirecting the tool so as to recover its initial orientation with respect to the normal. Iteration is carried out to proceed, by repetition of steps to, while progressively increasing the force at each iteration, and until reaching the force value, the increase increment between two successive steps being smaller than a determined value.