A Stochastic Off Line Planner of Optimal Dynamic Motions for Robotic Manipulators

We propose a general and simple method that handles free (or point-to-point) motion planning problem for redundant and non-redundant serial robots. The problem consists of linking two points in the operational space, under constraints on joint torques, jerks, accelerations, velocities and positions while minimizing a cost function involving significant physical parameters such as transfer time and joint torque quadratic average. The basic idea is to dissociate the search of optimal transfer time T from that of optimal motion parameters. Inherent constraints are then easily translated to bounds on the value of T. Furthermore, a stochastic optimization method is used which not only may find a better approximation of the global optimal motion than is usually obtained via traditional techniques but that also handles more complicated problems such as those involving discontinuous friction efforts and obstacle avoidance.