Manipulator for Man-Robot Cooperation Work (3rd Report, Control Algorithm of Center of Gravity for Manipulator/Vehicle System)

In this paper, we propose a “center of gravity control” method to apply to the manipulator/vehicle system, controlling the center of gravity of the system, so that the system cannot fall down. Unlike in the case of the manipulator fixed to the floor/ground tightly, it is a very serious problem for the manipulator/vehicle system to avoid tumbling. Therefore, we consider the algorithm to control both the tip position of the end effector and the center of gravity of the manipulator and the payload being carried by the manipulator. We applied this control algorithm to the manipulator with a vehicle for man-robot cooperation. The trajectory of the manipulator is given by a human operator and the center of gravity is set in advance so as not to tumble. We carried out experiments to confirm the effectiveness of this control algorithm for the manipulator/vehicle system. In this experiment, we applied this control algorithm to a manipulator for the man-robot cooperation. This gravity center control algorithm can be applied to various types of manipulator/vehicle systems.