Modeling and control of two cooperating manipulators for assembly tasks

Two cooperating manipulators can be applied advantageously to assembly and material handling tasks in which they come into mutual contact with the same payload. In this thesis, the problem of the modeling and control of two cooperating manipulators holding a rigid object in a three-dimensional workspace is addressed. The single closed chain mechanism that is formed is analyzed in detail to gain insight into its complexity. The complex kinematical and dynamical interactions between the manipulators due to the common load are modeled. A constrained dynamical model and a decoupled position/force control architecture are developed for the closed chain motion of the entire system