Optimal Contact Force Prediction of Redundant Single and Dual-Arm Manipulators

Redundant robotic manipulators, singleor dual-arms, have received increasing use in assembly applications in industry. Correct dimension and use of such redundant robotic manipulators subject to assembly forces experience significant challenges due to the internal motion introduced by the kinematic redundancy. In robotic manipulator design, it is essential to consider the specification of assembly forces so that the drive-train of the manipulator may be correctly dimensioned. Robotic cell design engineers need to access quantitative information about the range and location of these assembly forces over the workspace of a manipulator. In this work, methodology and tools for predicting available assembly forces over the workspace have been developed for optimal use of such redundant robots for assembly applications. The prediction of such optimal configurations requires numeric solution of inverse kinematics, self-motion generation, and statics. The results are demonstrated using both a singleand dual-arm redundant 7-axis robot manipulator. Issues and methods to include contact assembly forces in robot design have also been addressed in future work.