Contact task execution by robot with non-rigid fixation
Start Date: 1st March 2024
Expected End Date: 1st September 2027
This PhD project will research the following problem: how to use robots with a non-rigidly fixed chassis to perform contact tasks on a much larger workpiece that has been placed arbitrarily on the floor of a factory. Contact tasks, such as grinding, polishing, or welding, typically involve high-precision, high-contact-force hybrid force/position control. To perform contact tasks on large workpieces, one feasible approach is to use mobile robots. The mobile chassis extends the robot’s workspace, enabling it to cover large workpieces. However, the introduction of a mobile chassis also results in non-rigid fixation of the robot to the ground, leading to reduced positioning accuracy, and decreased overall rigidity and stability of the robot. My research will focus on exploring and addressing these issues.
Research challenges include precise localization between the mobile robot and the workpiece, optimization of hybrid force/position control, and specific challenges posed by certain contact tasks (e.g., vibrations in grinding tasks).
Recent Updates
- Building a real-time force control system for UR series robots with a mobile base based on a reactive control framework.
- Testing the control system in the MuJoCo simulation environment and conducting preliminary experiments on the non-rigid fixation issue.
- Setting up the robotic platform and conducting full experiments to test the challenges of performing sanding tasks with non-rigid fixation.
Outcomes
The future goals of this project are:
- Fully define the challenges that non-rigid fixation brings to contact tasks.
- Improve the control framework to address non-rigid fixation issues.
- Design a robotic system for performing contact tasks on large workpieces.
Supervisory Team
- Principal Supervisors: Professor Jonathan Roberts,
- Associate Supervisors: Professor Will Browne and Dr Chris Lehnert
Associated Researchers