Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2009
The problem of finding an allowable object trajectory for a cooperating two-robot system is investigated. The purpose is to move an object from one point to another by firmly grasping it at two different points using two robotic hands. The major difficulty is caused by the fact that, unless the robots have true six degrees of freedom, the trajectories the object can follow are severely limited and, in general, are difficult to find. The method proposed in the paper is based on reformulating the problem as a nonlinear optimization problem with equality constraints in terms of the joint variables. The optimization problem is then solved numerically on a computer. The solution automatically gives the corresponding joint variable trajectories as well, thus eliminating the need for solving the inverse kinematic problem. The method has been successfully applied to a real experimental system.