Geometric control tools for robotic manipulators

Abstract

This paper investigates the geometric and structural characteristics involved in the control of rather general manipulation systems, consisting of multiple cooperating linkages, interacting with a reference member of the mechanism (the “object”) by means of contacts on any available part of their links. Object grasp and manipulation by the human hand is taken as a paradigmatic example for this class of manipulators. This paper reports on some recent results on the analysis and control of these mechanisms, based on a geometric analysis of a local approximation of system dynamics. A special attention is devoted to the force control by an algebraic output feedback.