Control of Coordinated Multiple Robot Manipulators

Abstract

The use of coordinated multiple robot manipulators to hold a common object is motivated by applications where the object to be transported is either too large or too heavy and, therefore, beyond the capacity of a single robot. When multiple robot manipulators holding a common object altogether, the number of the degrees of freedom (DOFs) of motion is often less than the number of total actuators. This over-actuation gives rise to the creation of the internal forces. Therefore, not only the motion but also the internal forces resulting from the over-actuation need to be controlled.