Integrated motion and contact control of robotic manipulators

An integrated motion and contact control algorithm for robotic manipulators is introduced in this paper for improving the intelligence of the robotic control systems in dealing with tasks in which the end effector begins in an unconstrained region of the work space, and the terminating conditions involve contact with a deformable surface with uncertain impedance characteristics. The basic feedback control elements are derived from sliding mode control. Transition characteristics from unconstrained motion control to impedance control are prescribable in the proposed algorithm where initial impact velocity, and desired contact impedance are inputs to the design process. Design and simulation results for single-degree-of-freedom contact tasks are presented