An explicit force control scheme for underwater vehicle-manipulator systems

Abstract

An explicit force control scheme for underwater vehicle-manipulator systems is presented. Several major problems of underwater robotics are taken into account; namely, uncertainty in the model knowledge, presence of hydrodynamic effects, kinematic redundancy of the system, and poor performance of the vehicle's actuating system. The possible occurrence of loss of contact due to vehicle movement during the task is also discussed. Extensive dynamic simulations prove the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.