The experimental performance of a mobile manipulator control algorithm

Results of an experimental study of a motion control algorithm for mobile manipulators are presented. The dynamic interactions between a mobile manipulator and its vehicle are shown to lead to poor performance when a conventional fixed-base controller, which neglects these interactions, is used. The mobile manipulator control algorithm, which accounts for dynamic vehicle motions caused by manipulator motions, is shown to be stable and to perform well, while using only limited sensory data, such as would be practically available in highly unstructured field environments.>