Abstract
The hybrid position/force control allows a robot to perform skillful manipulations, while the programming is more complex and intricate, compared with simple position control schemes.
In this paper, an efficient method is developed to eliminate the manual programming and the task interpretation/translation. The operator teaches a given task by “teaching-by-showing”, in which the operator contacts the robot end effector to the environment, and accommodates the contact force. During the operator's motion, the force applied by the operator as well as the position of the end effector are measured. The acquired motion data are then processed and interpreted so that necessary information to generate robot programs is obtained. The choice of control modes as well as reference inputs to the robot controller are derived from the motion data. Then the result is translated into a robot program.
First, the principle of this method is described. The algorithm to interpret motion data is then developed for a simple palletizing job. The method is implemented on a force-controlled direct-drive arm and a personal computer.
