Decentralized cooperation between multiple manipulators

Mobile manipulation capabilities are key to many new applications of robotics in space, underwater, construction, and service environments. This article discusses the ongoing effort at Stanford University for the development of multiple mobile manipulation systems and presents the basic models and methodologies for their analysis and control. We present the extension of these methodologies to mobile manipulation systems and propose a new decentralized control structure for cooperative tasks. The article also discusses experimental results obtained with two holonomic mobile manipulation platforms we have designed and constructed at Stanford University.