Assembly manipulation of small objects by dual‐arm manipulator

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an assembly robot that exhibits specific human‐like skills, with minimal structural cost and a number of external sensors. Design/methodology/approach The authors have employed vision processing using multiple cameras to determine targets and postures and propose strategies to determine the pose of a target and to prevent collisions between the fingers and obstacles in an environment with mixed objects. Furthermore, a dynamic trajectory planner integrates the vision and force sensors of the robot hand for the assigned task. Findings The authors obtained satisfactory experimental results for autonomous real‐time grasping and screwing. The results verified the capability of the robot for handling small objects. Research limitations/implications More effective robotic manipulation requires a higher degree of target orientation data, which will be a future study of this research. Practical implications Practicality has been established through results, indicating the capability of the robot to implement human‐like skilled manipulation of small objects. This can potentially reduce the high labor cost associated with the small‐scale manufacture of custom‐made products. Originality/value Screwing of nuts of minimum M2 size (diameter, 4.6 mm) and M8‐M10 bolts (head diameter, 15‐19.6 mm; length, 50‐80 mm) by cooperating two seven‐link arm manipulators and three‐fingered hands shows the robot's capability to manipulate small objects.