Force control in single DOF dual arm cooperative space robot

Abstract

This work presents force control in single degree of freedom dual arm space robot for cooperative manipulation by two arms. A docking operation by the two arms of the space manipulator has been carried out. During docking operation, space robot requires mechanical interaction with compliant objects, which encounter force and motion constraints. The gripping force should be such that the object should not slip and at the same time there is a limit on the maximum force to prevent the object from crushing. Apart from this the docking operation requires that the gripped object follows a specific path to dock the picked object. The work uses the concept of impedance control to achieve both the objectives, i.e. force control during gripping and trajectory control during docking. The methodology has been validated with simulated results.