Experiments with a Dual-Armed, Cooperative, Flexible-Drivetrain Robot System

Many tasks are di cult or impossible for onearmed" robots, for example, assembly with long parts. Multi-armed robots can do such tasks well, but only if both robot and controls are systematically designed for cooperation. We have built such a two-armed robot. We present its design and its experimental performance. The manipulators have added drivetrain exibility to aid studying its e ects on robot cooperation. The control system is a four level hierarchy: joint, arm, object, and task levels. The joint level handles exibility via joint-torque control. The arm level uses nonlinear end-point feedback to control tip forces and positions. The object level manages the object via object impedance control. The task level directs multistep tasks autonomously. Experiments are shown for each level, culminating with a two-handed" insertion of a long part into a deep hole.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1993
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Lawrence E. Pfeffer, Robert H. Cannon Jr.
• Keywords: ICRA 1993, Joint Level Handles, Robotics, Task Level, Task Level Directs