Force-Motion Control For A Six Degree-Of-Freedom Robotic Manipulator

Abstract: This paper presents a unified algorithm for motion and force control for a six degree-of-freedom spatial manipulator. The motion-force controller performs trajectory tracking, maneuvering the manipulator's end-effector through desired position, orientations and rates. When contacting an obstacle or target object, the force module of the controller restricts the manipulator movements with a novel force exertion method, which prevents damage to the manipulator, the end-effector, and the objects during the contact or collision. The core strategy presented in this paper is to design the linear acceleration for the end-effector which ensures both trajectory tracking and restriction of any contact force at the end-effector. The design of the controller is validated through numerical simulations and digital twin validation.