Man-machine interface for safe operation of mobile manipulators

The potential loss of static stability poses a major safety hazard for mobile manipulators, since stability cannot be readily sensed or learned by a human operator. This paper presents a hypothetical design of an ergonomic man-machine interface capable of effectively communicating abstract information about stability. It includes an online feedback of the margin of stability as an equivalent force into the active control lever and a movement planning support display. Efficient computation algorithms for the margins and zones of stability are presented