Inferred end-point control of long reach manipulators

The problem of the end-point control of long reach manipulator systems, consisting of a dexterous manipulator carried by deployable structures, is addressed. Such systems can be important where a manipulator must perform a task in a difficult to reach location. Power line maintenance systems and the Space Station Freedom´s external maintenance robot are examples. Their supporting deployable structures can exhibit substantial vibrations, making the system very difficult to control. Here, a sensor based control algorithm, called inferred end-point control is proposed. Simulation and experimental results show that it yields stable and accurate manipulator end-effector positioning control despite of vibrations of the system´s supporting structure using easily obtained strain measurements