Dynamic two arm hybrid position/force control

A useful two arm robot system will not only need to cooperatively manipulate the same object, but also need the ability for external force control. As an example, assume two robots are building a space station, which requires them to connect a structure to a partially built space station. This implies that they need to cooperatively move the object to the desired position, and then apply a force to connect it. Therefore, two arm hybrid position/force control is necessary. To accomplish this task quickly and accurately the dynamics of arm 1, arm 2, and the object must be taken into account. The external and internal forces must be clearly defined to be used in the servo control loop. There are several ways to choose the internal force: zero internal force, arbitrary force distribution, minimizing object strain energy, and minimizing the total torque. An example is shown to illustrate the trade-offs. A controller is presented which incorporates the dynamics of each arm, the dynamics of the object, and servos on the internal and external force. Experimental results show that servoing on the internal force will reduce the force error significantly.