Design and experimental evaluation of a stable transition controller for geometrically constrained robots

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of contact transition from free motion to constrained motion for geometrically constrained robots. Constraint uncertainty can cause the robot to impact the surface with a non-zero velocity. To deal with contact transition. A new stable discontinuous transition controller is proposed. The control algorithm for a complete robot task that involves both free motion and constrained motion is also developed. Extensive experiments with the proposed control strategy were conducted with different levels of constraint uncertainty. Experimental results show much improved transition performance and force regulation. Details of the experimental platform and typical experimental results are given.