Coordinated Control and Range Imaging for Mobile Manipulation

Mobile manipulators currently deployed for explosive ordinance disposal are typically controlled via crude forms of teleoperation.Manipulator joints are actuated individually in joint space, making precise motions in state space difficult. Scene understanding is limited, as monocular cameras provide little (if any) depth information. Furthermore, the operator must manually coordinate the manipulator articulation with the positioning of the mobile base. These limitations place greater demands on the operator, decrease task efficiency and can increase exposure in dangerous environments. In this paper, we demonstrate several enabling technologies for interacting with and operating mobile manipulators, including a “click-and-grab” interface for coordinated motion and manipulation. This includes coordinated joint movement for end-effector position control, a flash LADAR to provide depth information, and automatic trajectory generation to autonomously position the mobile base and manipulator.