On the Modelling of Tethered Mobile Robots as Redundant Manipulators

Controlling a chain of tethered mobile robots (TMRs) can be a challenging task. This kind of system can be considered kinematically as an open-chain robotic arm where the mobile robots are considered as a revolute joint and the tether is considered as a variable length link, using a prismatic joint....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matteo Caruso, Paolo Gallina, Stefano Seriani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Robotics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2218-6581/10/2/81
Description
Summary:Controlling a chain of tethered mobile robots (TMRs) can be a challenging task. This kind of system can be considered kinematically as an open-chain robotic arm where the mobile robots are considered as a revolute joint and the tether is considered as a variable length link, using a prismatic joint. Thus, the TMRs problem is decoupled into two parallel problems: the equivalent robotic manipulator control and the tether shape computation. Kinematic redundancy is exploited in order to coordinate the motion of all mobile robots forming the chain, expressing the constraints acting on the mobile robots as secondary tasks for the equivalent robotic arm. Implementation in the Gazebo simulation environment shows that the methodology is capable of controlling the chain of TMRs in cluttered environments.
ISSN:2218-6581