Flexible co-manipulation and transportation with mobile multi-robot system

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address optimal positioning of a group of mobile robots for a successful manipulation and transportation of payloads of any shape. Design/methodology/approach The chosen methodology to achieve optimal positioning of the robots around the payload to lift it and to transport it while maintaining a geometric multi-robot formation is presented. This appropriate configuration of the set of robots is obtained by combining constraints ensuring stable and safe lifting and transport of the payload. A suitable control law is then used to track a virtual structure in which each elementary robot has to keep its desired position with respect to the payload. Findings An optimal positioning of mobile robots around a payload to ensure stable co-manipulation and transportation task according to stability multi-criteria constraints. Simulation and experimental results validate the proposed control architecture and strategy for a successful transportation task based on virtual structure navigation approach. Originality/value This paper presents a new strategy for co-manipulation and co-transportation task based on a virtual structure navigation approach. An algorithm for optimal positioning of mobile robots around a payload of any mass and shape is proposed while ensuring stability during the whole process by respecting multi-criteria task stability constraints.