Human-robot cooperative manipulation using a virtual nonholonomic constraint

A robotic assistance system for handling long objects that are difficult to manipulate with only one point of support is presented. The robot grasps one end of the object and helps the human operator to carry at the other end. Such cooperative manipulation in a horizontal plane is considered here. The control method proposed uses a virtual nonholonomic constraint. The movement of the object is constrained as if it were being carried on a wheel attached to the object. This method can prevent the object from slipping sideways and simplify the carrying operation. The experimental results show that an operator can easily handle a long object when aided by the robot