Very high-speed dynamic motion planning for arm robots

Robot manipulator arms are increasingly used for logistics applications.  These typically require robots to run at the limits of their performance: motor torque and motor velocity.  Added challenges include significant payloads (if we are schlepping heavy parcels) with apriori unknown mass, the possibility of boxes detaching from the gripper under high acceleration, and fixed obstacles in the workspace.  How can we determine the limits to performance, quickly identify the payload mass, then plan the fastest path to get from A to B.

Seeking candidates with some or all of the following experience: robot arm kinematics and dynamics, control theory, system identification and modelling, simulation and coding.


Chief Investigators