Waste tank cleanup manipulator modeling and control

Waste tank cleanup is a current application area for robotics in the United States. As a result of tank access restrictions, designs for several current waste cleanup manipulator systems have long links with small cross-sections and variable lengths. In addition, as a result of anticipated payload capacity, these manipulator designs are hydraulically actuated. This paper takes two approaches to investigating the problem of the control of manipulators having variable-length flexible links and hydraulic actuators. First, a simulation of a hydraulically actuated, 2-DOF, polar (r-/spl Theta/), manipulator with one flexible link is used to illustrate the problem of applying controllers successfully developed for hydraulically actuated, fixed-length flexible manipulators to hydraulically-actuated, variable-length systems. Next, based upon the simulation results, simple controller modifications are proposed and are shown to work on a full-scale experimental test bed. Motion control of hydraulically actuated, variable-length flexible-link manipulators is the focus of this paper.