Combined Mobility and Manipulation Control of a Newly Developed 9-DOF Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm System

A wheelchair-mounted robotic arm (WMRA) system was designed and built to meet the needs of mobility-impaired persons with limitations of upper extremities, and to exceed the capabilities of current devices of this type. The control of this 9-DoF system combines the 7-DoF robotic arm control with the 2-DoF power wheelchair control. The 3-degrees of redundancy can be optimized to effectively perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and overcome some workspace limitations. The control system is designed for teleoperated or autonomous coordinated Cartesian control, and it offers expandability for future research, such as voice or sip and puff control operations and sensor assist functions