Toward fully autonomous mobile manipulation for industrial environments

• Published in: International journal of advanced robotic systems Vol. 14; no. 4; p. 172988141771858
• Main Authors: Dömel, Andreas, Kriegel, Simon, Kaßecker, Michael, Brucker, Manuel, Bodenmüller, Tim, Suppa, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-07-2017; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Autonomy; Domains; Flow control; Modular systems; Robot arms; Robotics; Space exploration; autonomous systems; mobile manipulation; Manufacturing; perception
• ISSN: 1729-8806; 1729-8814; 1729-8814
• DOI: 10.1177/1729881417718588

This work presents a concept for autonomous mobile manipulation in industrial environments. Utilizing autonomy enables an unskilled human worker to easily configure a complex robotics system in a setup phase before carrying out fetch and carry operations in the execution phase. In order to perform the given tasks in real industrial production sites, we propose a robotic system consisting of a mobile platform, a torque-controlled manipulator, and an additional sensor head. Multiple sensors are attached which allow for perception of the environment and the objects to be manipulated. This is essential for coping with uncertainties in real-world application. In order to provide an easy-to-use and flexible system, we present a modular software concept which is handled and organized by a hierarchical flow control depending on the given task and environmental requirements. The presented concept for autonomous mobile manipulation is implemented exemplary for industrial manipulation tasks and proven by real-world application in a water pump production site. Furthermore, the concept has also been applied to other robotic systems and other domains for planetary exploration with a rover.