An experimental visual feedback control system for tracking applications using a robotic manipulator

The paper reports on work recently carried out to develop an experimental tracking system which employs a position-based visual feedback control approach with a wrist-mounted camera. The developed system allows the end-effector mounted on a 6-DOF ASEA-IRB60/2 robot to track the path of arbitrary profiles which are longitudinally moving on a conveyor belt. The aim for undertaking this work is threefold: firstly, to create a platform on which to evaluate different implementation approaches to visual-feedback control; secondly, to use the developed system as a learning tool; and thirdly, to employ the outcome of the research as a stepping stone to developing more relevant (and interesting) real-world applications, such as its integration into a flexible robotic based assembly cell, lane-tracking technology for automated highway vehicles and autonomous mobile robot navigation systems. The experimental set-up for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed tracking algorithm, the camera calibration procedures, implementation approach adopted and the outcome of the research are covered in this paper.