Control of mobile manipulator using the dynamical systems approach

The combination of a mobile platform and a manipulator, known as a mobile manipulator, provides a highly flexible system, which can be used in a wide range of applications, especially within the field of service robotics. One of the challenges with mobile manipulators is the construction of control systems, enabling the robot to operate safely in potentially dynamic environments. In this paper we will present work in which a mobile manipulator is controlled using the dynamical systems approach. The method presented is a two level approach in which competitive dynamics are used both for the overall coordination of the mobile platform and the manipulator as well as the lower level fusion of obstacle avoidance and target acquisition behaviors.