Modular Design and Implementation for a Sensory-Driven Mobile Manipulation Framework

A mobile manipulator is a manipulator mounted on a mobile platform with no support from the ground. We are already in the process of building a platform (RISCbot II) which consists of a comprehensive sensor suite and significant end-effector capabilities for manipulation. In order to reduce the uncertainty in localization, sensor fusion is used to create an efficient and effective user interface to facilitate teleoperation by enhancing the quality of information that is provided to the teleoperator. We are developing a framework for a modular design of sensory modules, actuation platforms, and task descriptions that will be implemented as a tool to reduce and streamline efforts in designing robotic platforms. The framework is comprised of three modules. The first module encapsulates the sensors which gather information about the remote, or local, environment. The second module defines the platforms and actuation methods. The last module describes the tasks that the platforms will perform such as teleoperation, navigation, obstacle avoidance, manipulation, 3-D reconstruction, and map building. This paper presents the modular design process of the RISCbot II mobile manipulator. In the design process, the overall design of the system is discussed and then the control process of the robot is presented. Furthermore, the tasks that the RISCbot II can perform such as teleoperation, navigation, obstacle avoidance, manipulation, and face detection and recognition are described.