Normalized impact geometry and performance index for redundant manipulators

We investigate the instantaneous impact phenomenon due to the collision between the manipulator and the environment for kinematically redundant manipulators. First, we define a normalized impact geometry in the viewpoint of normalized velocity change. We then reduce the impulsive effects under uncertain environment for redundant manipulators. A new impact performance index based on velocity direction is proposed. Finally, the performance of the proposed index is demonstrated by numerical examples and experiments