Collision-tolerant control algorithm for mobile manipulator with viscoelastic passive trunk

Abstract

We have proposed the collision-tolerant mobile manipulator equipped with a passive trunk (i.e., supporting part). In collision experiments with unknown environments, results show that this mechanism is suitable for the suppression of contact forces which is an important issue for human-robot collaborations. The trunk with mechanical elements such as springs and dampers is passively deformed to deal with physical contacts, while the mobile platform moves around on the horizontal plane in response to friction between the platform and the ground. The end-effector of the manipulator, however, is difficult to track a desired task due to the deformation of the compliant trunk and the mobility of the platform. In order to solve the problem, the desired joint configurations of the manipulator are directly calculated according to the movement of the trunk and the platform, and a feedback control scheme is employed.