The objective of this dissertation is to shed light on some fundamental impediments in learning control laws in continuous state spaces. In particular, if one wants to build artificial devices capable to learn motor tasks the same way they learn to classify signals and images, one needs to establish control rules that do not necessitate comparisons between quantities of the surrounding space. W...

A human-mobile manipulator cooperation module is designed to support a target task consisting of the transportation of a rigid object betw een a mobile manipulator and a master human worker. Our approach in troduces an in ten tionrecognition capability in the robot, based on the search for spectral patterns in the force signal measured at the arm gripper. The mobile manipulator takes advan tage...

We study a reaching movement controller for a redundant serial arm manipulator, based on two principles believed to be central to biological motion control: multireferential control and dynamical system control. The resulting controller is based on two concurrent dynamical systems acting on different, yet redundant variables. The first dynamical system acts on the end-effector location variable...

Manipulators are controlled to make their end-effector (Tool Centre Point) track a pre-specified trajectory in space. This goal is achieved if the actuators of the manipulator are activated appropriately. The controller, used to calculate these inputs, can have may different forms, each with its own (dis)advantages.

In contrast to most hybrid vision/force research, this work uses eye-in-hand vision and force control. Mounting both sensors on the same end effector gives rise to new constraints, control issues and advantages, which are discussed in this paper. Four meaningful tool/camera configurations, being parallel or non-parallel endpoint closed-loop and fixed or variable endpoint open-loop are suggested...

The ability to easily manipulate objects in a zero gravity environment will play a key role in future space activities. Emphasis will be placed on robotic manipulation. This will serve to increase astronaut safety and utility in addition to several other benefits. It is the aim of this research to develop control laws for the zero gravity robotic end effector designed by engineers at NASA Godda...