Dual arm coordination and control

Abstract

A generalized master/slave technique and experimental results for coordinated control of two arms rigidly grasping an object is described in this paper. Usually master/slave refers to the case when one arm is controlled in position mode while the second arm is controlled in force mode. In generalized master/slave control, each arm at its tool frame has six degrees of freedom; each degree of freedom can be in either position or force control mode. An interactive program has been developed to allow a user the flexibility to select appropriate control modes for a given experiment. This interface also allows for control gain adjustments. This paper presents the results of several experiments performed on this system to demonstrate its capabilities such as transporting an object with or without induced internal forces and movement of a constrained object. The system is further developed to achieve a so-called shared control mode in which an operator species the free motion trajectory for a point on the object of manipulation via a joystick while the autonomous control system is used for coordination and control of the arms.