MINIMUM EFFORT FACTOR APPROACH FOR SENSOR-BASED CONTROL OF A 4-JOINT 6-DOF REDUNDANT MANIPULATOR

A sensor-driven control model and a minimum effort control algorithm i n terms of time and energy expended during the execution of a movement strategy are described and validated for a multijointed cooperating r obotic manipulator. Considering smooth, human-like (anthropomorphic) m ovements, using joint motion profiles achievable in real time as well as sensory information from all joints, and evaluating the total work expended by each manipulator joint during the execution of a movement strategy, a minimum effort motion trajectory is synthesized to precise ly and efficiently position the robotic arm end-effector. This sensor- based approach significantly reduces the computational requirements fo r such cooperative motion. The minimum effort control algorithm genera tes several human-like arm movement strategies and selects the best st rategy on the basis of expendable effort. The algorithm has an inheren t basis to deal with obstacles in an efficient way. Detailed examples are described from the simulation studies. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.