Visual impedance using 1 ms visual feedback system

Abstract

We introduce a visual impedance scheme for vision based control which realizes task-level dynamical robot control. This method is simply described as applying image features to the impedance equation so that integration of a visual servo and a conventional servo system can be naturally accomplished. With visual impedance, an adaptive motion is obtained for real robot tasks in dynamically changing or unknown environments based on the framework of impedance control. In such cases, very high rate visual feedback is necessary to control the robot dynamics but most conventional vision systems using CCD cameras can never satisfy this condition because their sampling rate is limited by the video signal. To solve this problem, we developed a general-purposed vision chip SPE-256 and the 1 ms visual feedback system which can achieve an adequate servo rate to control dynamics. The 1 ms visual feedback system for a robot control system is described. Experimental results with some real robot tasks are shown.