Constrained robot control using control barrier functions

Many robotic applications, especially if humans are involved, require the robot to adhere to certain joint, workspace, velocity or force limits while simultaneously executing a task. In this paper, we introduce a control structure, which merges an arbitrary desired robot behavior with given constraints. Using a quadratic program (QP), control barrier functions (CBFs) are combined with an arbitrary nominal control law, which determines the desired behavior. The CBFs enforce the constraints, overruling nominal control whenever necessary. We show that the concept is applicable with arbitrary numbers of constraints and any nominal control law. In order to illustrate the capabilities of the approach, the control scheme is applied to an anthropomorphic manipulator, which is constrained by static as well as moving constraints.