Force and dynamic manipulability for cooperating robot systems

A theory of force and dynamic manipulability for general systems of multiple cooperating robot manipula-tors is developed. Manipulability analysis refers to the study of the performance of the system regarded as a mechanical transformer of inputs (forces and torques at actuated joints) into outputs (forces and torques exchanged with the environment or accelerations of a reference member), in relation with diierent conngu-rations of the system and diierent directions in the input and output spaces. To this purpose, the concept of manipulability ellipsoids for single robot arms is generalized so as to encompass multi{limb cooperating systems with general kinematic structure.