Cooperative towing with multiple robots

Abstract

In this paper, we address the cooperative towing of payloads by multiple mobile robots that move in the plane. Robots pull via cables attached to an object or a pallet carrying a payload and they coordinate their motion to manipulate the payload through a planar, warehouse-like environment.We formulate a quasi-static model for manipulation and derive equations of motion that yield the motion of the payload for a prescribed motion of the robots in the presence of dry friction and tension constraints. We derive conditions of stable equilibrium for one, two, and three or more robots towing the payload and propose abstractions for the task that lend themselves to simple algorithms for motion planning. We present simulation and experimental results that demonstrate the basic concepts. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.