A trajectory optimization-based framework for cooperative multi-robot object transportation

The proposed project on cooperative multi-robot systems addresses one of the recognized major challenges and opportunities in collaborative robotics (Cobots). For multi-robot groups, optimizing transportation efficiency for the workpiece while at the same time achieving whole-body obstacle avoidance in a cluttered manufacturing environment is highly involved due to the physical coupling of the system between the cooperating agents. The project objective is to establish a novel cooperative framework for multi-robot rigid object transportation in an unstructured environment. With the adoption of this framework, the robots should be able to coordinate their motion policies and generate individual control policy intelligently, resembling a human-human collaboration. Moreover, investigations will be conducted on the uncertainty incurred by the varying communication delay in the system with the proposed distributed topology. Experimental validations of the proposed framework will be performed on the Franka Emika Cobots in both home and host institutions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ya-Jun Pan

Student:

Partner:

RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Technology; Advanced Manufacturing; Information and Communications Technology

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: