Coordination and partial decoupling in tracking control for wheeled mobile manipulators

Abstract

We consider tracking control for mobile manipulators built from a wheeled mobile platform and a serial chain robotic arm. Two approaches are presented: the first one is based on global instantaneous kinematics for the whole system whereas the second one follows a decomposition approach that requires trajectory planning for the platform. Since the platform is nonholonomic, different issues have to be carefully studied.