Design of Robotic Human Assistance Systems Using a Mobile Manipulator

Abstract

Robotic systems have been widely used in many areas to assist human beings. Mobile manipulators are among the most popular choices. This paper investigates human assistance systems using a mobile manipulator, for example, to guide the blind and to transport objects. Distinct from existing systems, an integrated dynamic model and controller of the mobile manipulator are designed. Singularity, manipulability and safety are all considered in the system design. Furthermore, two human assistance modes – Robot-Human mode and Teleoperator-Robot-Human mode – are designed and analysed. The Teleoperator-Robot-Human mode can integrate human intelligence into the assistance system to further enhance the system efficiency and safety. The experimental results implemented on a mobile manipulator demonstrated the effectiveness of the designed systems.