RIA: A Study of Free-Floating Closed-Chain Planar Manipulators

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The research addresses free floating planar manipulator design. In this study, the free floating characteristic is provided by arranging for the manipulator to float on a planar surface on a thin film of air. Preliminary investigations indicate that the nature of design for such devices is far different from that of corresponding fixed base manipulators. This project completes the design of a free floating manipulator to be used as an experimental test bed. Specific research topics include the nature of inverse solutions, the characterization and optimization of workspace, the number of Jacobian singularities, the existence of inertially singular configurations, and the nature of control algorithms. Free floating manipulators are required when the end effector has to travel over a large workspace. This work should contribute to the fields of space and underwater robotics. This proposal was determined to be highly meritorious, and an award is recommended.