Human-robot cooperative handling using virtual nonholonomic constraint in 3-D space

Deals with human-robot cooperative handling of a long object in 3-D space. We assume that the operator and the robot grasp each end of the object and carry it cooperatively. In this task, it is difficult for the human operator to apply a large torque to give a translational force at the robot hand. Thus, we propose to assign a virtual nonholonomic constraint to the robot hand. In this method, the robot behaves like a unicycle and we only use translational force to manipulate it. The controllability is assured based on nonholomony and the operator can transport the object to the desired position and posture in 3-D space by a similar skill using a wheelbarrow. The effectiveness of our method is experimentally verified.