Development of a dexterous dual-arm omnidirectional mobile manipulator

This paper presents an experimental mobile manipulator composed of a dual-arm torso with a human-like structure assembled on an omnidirectional platform. The dual-arm system integrates several commercial devices: two arms UR5 with 6 degrees of freedom, each one equipped with an Allegro Hand with four fingers and a total of 16 degrees of freedom, and each fingertip provided with a tactile sensor. The omnidirectional platform has a circular shape and three wheels, with an original special design, whose coordinated movements allow omnidirectional displacements of the platform. It is equipped with laser-range sensors, a radio positioning system and an RGB-D camera to detect potential obstacles and navigate safely. The paper describes the main aspects of the mechanical structure of the mobile manipulator and the software framework developed to control the whole device.Peer Reviewe