Stability criteria in controlling mobile robotic systems

Many future applications of robotic systems will require manipulators to operate from moving vehicles. However, vehicle-mounted mobile manipulators might be unstable and even tip over. The authors assume that the stability of such a mobile manipulator has a close relationship with the vehicle's motion, the manipulator's posture and motion, and the endpoint's force. They present the concepts of the stability degree and the valid stable region based on the ZMP zero moment point criterion, which can be used as effective stability criteria in controlling mobile manipulators. Finally, the concepts are illustrated by computer simulation.