Particle swarm optimization algorithm for optimal configurations of an omnidirectional mobile service robot

This paper presents a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for optimal configurations of an omnidirectional mobile robot with a five-link robotic arm. Although the mobile robot agilely maneuvers from one pose to another and easily performs some kinds of tasks, the inverse kinematics problem of the overall system is redundant. This efficient PSO algorithm is proposed to search for the global optimum of the redundant problem with minimal movement. The PSO algorithm is shown to efficiently solve the redundant robot problem. Simulation results are conducted to show the merit of the proposed PSO algorithm for optimal configurations of an omnidrectional mobile service robot.