Impact configurations and measures for kinematically redundant and multiple armed robot systems

This paper introduces new methods to evaluate the effects of impact and contact forces on single and multiple robot manipulators. New measures of the vulnerability of any arm to impacts in varying directions are given. Impact ellipsoids corresponding to these measures are defined and analyzed. The effect of different configurations of kinematically redundant arms on (potentially damaging) impact forces at their end effectors during contact with the environment are investigated. New methods for examining the optimal configurations of redundant manipulators under impact task constraints are discussed. Examples showing “good” and “bad” configurations for contacts and tasks of different types are presented. Application of the methods to multiple cooperating arms is considered. Contact due to additional manipulators grasping, or regrasping, a common object held by one or more manipulators is analyzed. Applications to planning and simulation of manipulation of commonly held objects by multiple arms are discussed