Swing-free transport of suspended objects with a robot manipulator

Objects which cannot be directly grasped by the end effector of a robot manipulator and must be carried by a hook or similar device are susceptible to swinging during transport. For a simply suspended object, it is possible to use a path-controlled manipulator to achieve a swing-free motion. The trajectory consists of an initial acceleration to an intermediate velocity, then a secondary acceleration to final velocity. An experimental demonstration of the method is presented.