Sensor‑guided motions for manipulators in manufacturing

Abstract

Sensors, particularly 2D and 3D sensors, as well as force-torque sensors, have enabled several new ways for motion planning and motion control of industrial manipulator arms. Although manual programming is still common, especially for highly repetitive tasks, sensor-guided motions are more efficient and even necessary for dynamic and unorganized environments, as well as in some small batch productions where manual re-programming may not be feasible from a cost perspective. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the status and open problems in applying sensor-guided motions for manipulators in manufacturing. The applications we investigate are reactive control for assembly, deburring, grasping from overhanging conveyors, and bin picking. In addition, we describe two generic methods for planning and control, namely trajectory tracking using nonlinear model predictive control and set-based task priority for reactive control, and how they can be used in the manufacturing industry.