Control of two industrial robots for parts mating

This paper deals with the control of two industrial robots performing a parts mating task of peg-in-hole type. The robot carrying the peg is commanded in the native programming language, while the robot holding the hollow part is controlled to behave as a six-degree-of-freedom spatial mechanical impedance. A programmable compliant behaviour is achieved so as to compensate for unavoidable task planning imperfections. A number of experiments are worked out on the setup available in the laboratory, and the results are illustrated and critically discussed.