Commercialization of Redundant Arm Control Algorithms

Robotics Research Corporation (RRC) manufactures a family of dexterous 7-DOF arms that are used extensively at JPL, JSC, LARC, GSFC, as well as by a number of government agencies, private companies, and universities. These robotic arms are anthropormorphic and have the potential to perform complex tasks that demand human-like dexterity and versatility unavailable in the standard 6-DOF industrial robots. The 7-DOF arms are sold with a rudimentary controller that provides only basic capabilities that do not exploit the intrinsic dexterity present in the 7-DOF arms.

Since 1987, JPL has been developing for NASA advanced control techniques for seven jointed arms, such as the Robotics Research Arms. A new approach to "Configuration Control" of redundant manipulators with seven or more joints has been developed at JPL. The research leading to this development has evolved from analysis and simulation to full-scale implementation and experimentation. The configuration control approach provides a general framework in which the user can utilize the arm redundancy in order to accomplish a variety of additional tasks beyond the basic task of end-effector placement. Typical additional tasks that have been implemented and demonstrated are: elbow placement, joint limit avoidance, singularity robustness, base placement, and collision avoidance. This research has been reported in many publications and patents, and has been implemented at a number of universities and R & D centers.

The Robotics Research Corporation has been very interested in transferring the JPL developed configuration control techniques and algorithms to their next generation commercial products, since they have realized that it will enhance the functionality and capability of their products considerably. A Joint Technology Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1993 between JPL and RRC for commerciallization of the JPL configuration control methods. At the present time, JPL is achieving this transfer into a PC-based real-time system which will be the new palform for their next generation products. The enhanced product will be in the market in 1995.

Point of Contact:
Homayoun Seraji,
Mail Stop 198-219
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
seraji@telerobotics.jpl.nasa.gov

Telerobotics Program page

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Maintained by: Dave Lavery
Last updated: May 10, 1996