Optimal Isotropic Characteristics of Caster Wheeled Omnidirectional Mobile Robot

This paper investigates the optimal isotropic characteristics of a caster wheeled omnidirectional mobile robot under full actuation. First, with the characteristic length introduced, the kinematic model is obtained based on the velocity decomposition. Second, the algebraic conditions for the isotropy are derived, from which two isotropic configurations are identified along with the required isotropic characteristic length. Third, the local and the global isotropy indices are examined to determine the locally and the globally optimal characteristic lengths. Finally, with prior knowledge of the isotropic configurations, the problem of determining the optimal initial configuration of a moving COMR is discussed