Human-Multirobot Collaborative Mobile Manipulation: the Omnid Mocobots

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Omnid mocobots, a novel experimental platform combining mobile bases and compliant manipulators for safe, human-collaborative multirobot manipulation of large payloads, demonstrating initial collaborative experiments.

Contribution

The paper presents the design, control strategies, and initial experiments of Omnid mocobots, advancing safe, compliant, and effective human-multirobot collaboration for manipulating large payloads.

Findings

Successful initial experiments in human-multirobot payload manipulation

Omnid mocobots exhibit passive compliance and high-fidelity force control

Mechanical communication through payload enables safe collaboration

Abstract

The Omnid human-collaborative mobile manipulators are an experimental platform for testing control architectures for autonomous and human-collaborative multirobot mobile manipulation. An Omnid consists of a mecanum-wheel omnidirectional mobile base and a series-elastic Delta-type parallel manipulator, and it is a specific implementation of a broader class of mobile collaborative robots ("mocobots") suitable for safe human co-manipulation of delicate, flexible, and articulated payloads. Key features of mocobots include passive compliance, for the safety of the human and the payload, and high-fidelity end-effector force control independent of the potentially imprecise motions of the mobile base. We describe general considerations for the design of teams of mocobots; the design of the Omnids in light of these considerations; manipulator and mobile base controllers to achieve useful multirobot collaborative behaviors; and initial experiments in human-multirobot collaborative mobile manipulation of large, unwieldy payloads. For these experiments, the only communication among the humans and Omnids is mechanical, through the payload.