Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A kinematically compatible framework for cooperative payload transport by nonholonomic mobile manipulators

  • Published:
Autonomous Robots Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the development of a kinematically compatible control framework for a modular system of wheeled mobile manipulators that can team up to cooperatively transport a common payload. Each individually autonomous mobile manipulator consists of a differentially-driven Wheeled Mobile Robot (WMR) with a mounted two degree-of-freedom (d.o.f) revolute-jointed, planar and passive manipulator arm. The composite wheeled vehicle, formed by placing a payload at the end-effectors of two (or more) such mobile manipulators, has the capability to accommodate, detect and correct both instantaneous and finite relative configuration errors.

The kinematically-compatible motion-planning/control framework developed here is intended to facilitate maintenance of all kinematic (holonomic and nonholonomic) constraints within such systems. Given an arbitrary end-effector trajectory, each individual mobile-manipulator's bi-level hierarchical controller first generates a kinematically-feasible desired trajectory for the WMR base, which is then tracked by a suitable lower-level posture stabilizing controller. Two variants of system-level cooperative control schemes—leader-follower and decentralized control—are then created based on the individual mobile-manipulator control scheme. Both methods are evaluated within an implementation framework that emphasizes both virtual prototyping (VP) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) experimentation. Simulation and experimental results of an example of a two-module system are used to highlight the capabilities of a real-time local sensor-based controller for accommodation, detection and corection of relative formation errors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abou-Samah, M. 2001. A kinematically compatible framework for collaboration of multiple non-holonomic wheeled mobile robots. M. Eng. Thesis, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

  • Abou-Samah, M. and Krovi, V. 2002. Optimal configuration selection for a cooperating system of mobile manipulators. In Proceedings of the 2002 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, DETC2002/MECH-34358, Montreal, QC, Canada.

  • Adams, J., Bajcsy, R., Kosecka, J., Kumar, V., Mandelbaum, R., Mintz, M., Paul, R., Wang, C.-C., Yamamoto, Y., and Yun, X. 1996. Cooperative material handling by human and robotic agents: Module development and system synthesis. Expert Systems with Applications, 11(2):89–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhatt, R.M., Tang, C.P., Abou-Samah, M., and Krovi, V. 2005. A screw-theoretic analysis framework for payload manipulation by mobile manipulator collectives. In Proceedings of the 2005 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, IMECE2005-81525, Orlando, Florida, USA.

  • Borenstein, J., Everett, B., and Feng, L. 1996. Navigating Mobile Robots: Systems and Techniques. A. K. Peters, Ltd., Wellesley, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brockett, R.W. 1981. Control theory and singular riemannian geometry. In P.J. Hilton and G.S. Young (eds), New Directions in Applied Mathematics, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 11–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campion, G., Bastin, G., and D'Andrea-Novel, B. 1996. Structural properties and classification of kinematic and dynamic models of wheeled mobile robots. IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 12(1):47–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canudas de Witt, C., Siciliano, B., and Bastin, G. 1996. Theory of Robot Control. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desai, J. and Kumar, V. 1999. Motion planning for cooperating mobile manipulators. Journal of Robotic Systems, 16(10):557–579.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Donald, B.R., Jennings, J., and Rus, D. 1997. Information invariants for distributed manipulation. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 16(5):673–702.

    Google Scholar 

  • Honzik, B. 2000. Simulation of the kinematically redundant mobile manipulator. In Proceedings of the 8th MATLAB Conference 2000, Prague, Czech Republic, pp. 91–95.

  • Humberstone, C.K. and Smith, K.B. 2000. Object transport using multiple mobile robots with non-compliant endeffectors. In Distributed Autonomous Robotics Systems 4, Springer-Verlag, Tokyo, Tokyo, pp. 417–426.

  • Juberts, M. 2001. Intelligent control of mobility systems, Needs. ISD Division, Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

  • Khatib, O., Yokoi, K., Chang, K., Ruspini, D., Holmberg, R., and Casal, A. 1996. Vehicle/arm coordination and multiple mobile manipulator decentralized cooperation. In Proceedings of the 1996 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Osaka, Japan, pp. 546–553.

  • Kosuge, K., Osumi, T., Sato, M., Chiba, K., and Takeo, K. 1998. Transportation of a single object by two decentralized-controlled nonholonomic mobile robots. In 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Leuven, Belgium, pp. 2989–2994.

  • Kube, C.R. and Zhang, H. 1997. Task modelling in collective robotics. Autonomous Robots, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 4(1):53–72.

  • Latombe, J.-C. 1991. Robot Motion Planning. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z. and Canny, J.F. 1993. Nonholonomic Motion Planning. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, MA.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, R.M. and Sastry, S.S. 1993. Nonholonomic motion planning: Steering using sinusoids. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 38(5):700–716.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura, Y. 1991. Advanced Robotics: Redundancy and Optimization. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson, C. and Ait-Abderrahim, K. 1991a. Feedback control of a nonholonomic wheeled cart in cartesian space. In Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Sacramento CA, pp. 1136–1141.

  • Samson, C. and Ait-Abderrahim, K. 1991b. Feedback stabilization of a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot. In Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE/RSJ International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Osaka, Japan, pp. 1242–1247.

  • Schenker, P.S., Huntsberger, T.L., Pirjanian, P., Trebi-Ollennu, A., Das, H., Joshi, S., Aghazarian, H., Ganino, A.J., Kennedy, B.A., and Garrett, M.S. 2000. Robot work crews for planetary outposts: Close cooperation and coordination of multiple mobile robots. In Procedings of SPIE Symposium on Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems III, Boston, MA.

  • Seraji, H. 1998. A unified approach to motion control of mobile manipulators. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 17(2):107–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spletzer, J., Das, A.K., Fierro, R., Taylor, C.J., Kumar, V., and Ostrowski, J.P. 2001. Cooperative localization and control for multi-robot manipulation. In Procedings of the 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Maui, Hawaii, USA, pp. 631–636.

  • Stilwell, D.J. and Bay, J.S. 1993. Towards the development of a material transport system using swarms of ant-like robots. In Procedings of the 1993 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Atlanta, GA, pp. 766–771.

  • Tang, C.P. 2004. Manipulability-based analysis of cooperative payload transport by robot collectives. M.S. Thesis, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.

  • Tang, C.P. and Krovi, V. 2004. Manipulability-based configuration evaluation of cooperative payload transport by mobile robot collectives. In Proceedings of the 2004 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, DETC2004-57476, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

  • Tanner, H.G., Kyriakopoulos, K.J., and Krikelis, N.I. 1998. Modeling of multiple mobile manipulators handling a common deformable object. Journal of Robotic Systems, 15(11):599–623.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z.-D., Nakano, E., and Matsukawa, T. 1994. Cooperating multiple behavior-based robots for object manipulation. In 1994 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

  • Whitney, D.E. 1969. Resolved motion rate control of manipulators and human prostheses. IEEE Transactions on Man-Machine Systems, MMS-10;47–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, Y. 1994. Control and coordination of locomotion and manipulation of a wheeled mobile manipulator. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

  • Yamamoto, Y. and Yun, X. 1994. Coordinating locomotion and manipulation of a mobile manipulator. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 39(6):1326–1332.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MSC Software Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA

    M. Abou-Samah

  2. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA

    C. P. Tang, R. M. Bhatt & V. Krovi

Authors
  1. M. Abou-Samah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. P. Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. M. Bhatt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. Krovi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. Krovi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abou-Samah, M., Tang, C.P., Bhatt, R.M. et al. A kinematically compatible framework for cooperative payload transport by nonholonomic mobile manipulators. Auton Robot 21, 227–242 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-005-9717-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-005-9717-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation