Cooperative task-space control with kinetostatic filtering of a two-manipulator system

This paper addresses the problem of cooperative task-space control of a two-manipulator system holding a rigid object. The cooperative task-space is defined as a set of meaningful absolute and relative variables fully characterizing the system, and a task-space control is devised. Then, a kinetostatic filtering of the control action is introduced which is shown to cancel out stresses on the held object at steady state; this is obtained without resorting to force measurements. Simulation analysis and experimental validation of the proposed control scheme for a planar cooperative task is performed on a setup of two industrial manipulators.