A vision-based, impedance control strategy for industrial robot manipulators

This paper presents a control strategy for industrial robot manipulators which consists of the combination of a calibration-free, vision-based control method with an impedance control approach. The vision-based, robot control method known as camera-space manipulation is used to generate a given trajectory over an arbitrary surface. Then, a kinematic posture-based impedance controller is implemented in order to regulate the interaction forces generated by the contact between the robot end-effector and the work surface where the trajectory is traced. The paper presents experimental evidence on how the vision-force sensory fusion improves the precision of a robot-interaction task, by using a Fanuc M16-iB industrial robot equipped with a wrist force/torque sensor. As discussed in the paper, such a synergy between the control schemes is seen as a viable alternative for performing industrial maneuvers that require force modulation between the tool held by the robot and the working surface.