Introduction to the special issue: Intelligent control for manipulation

Abstract

This special issue is concerned with the intelligent control of robots in the performance of manipulation tasks. First we will try to define what we mean by intelligent control and by manipulation tasks.Unfortunately, intelligent control is a somewhat imprecise term, just like the word control itself, so that its meaning can vary widely depending on the application and on the writer's scientific discipline. In general terms, we can say that intelligent control implies some degree of autonomy in performing a task while accommodating uncertainty. In the control of sensor-based robot systems, we could characterize an intelligent controller as one with the following capabilities;