A real-time dual-arm collision avoidance algorithm for assembly

Multi-robot workcells provide efficiency of space, time, and materials in assembly. However this advantage cannot be fully utilized unless an efficient offline/online collision-free trajectory planner is in charge of controlling the arms. In this paper a new algorithm which provides the online and real-time generation of dual-arm collision-free trajectories has been established. The algorithm is capable of generating dual-arm collision-free trajectories in real-time despite that the initial configurations of two arms are not synchronized. The key component of the algorithm is the virtual road map (VRM) which gives the best collision-free motion at each given arm configuration.