Motion control of mobile manipulators traveling on irregular terrain - identification of shape of terrain using GA and inverse dynamics compensation

This paper is concerned with estimation of terrain shape using a GA(Genetic Algorithm) and inverse dynamics compensation for a mobile manipulator traveling on irregular terrain. Dynamical and kinematical compensation methods must be performed simultaneously for operating objects in the external world while the mobile manipulator is traveling on irregular terrain. In this paper, a new compensation method using a GA is proposed. First, coordinate transformations are done. Second, an inverse dynamics controller is constructed. Third, an estimation method using a GA is proposed. Finally, it is shown that the proposed controller can estimate terrain shape and can reduce control errors that occur when the mobile manipulator is traveling on irregular terrain to levels of errors that occur when the mobile manipulator travels on a horizontal plane.