Development of a robot control system for safe and natural human-robot collaboration

In this paper, a control system for a collaborative robot was developed to ensure greater safety during human-machine operations. Firstly, the admittance and impedance control and the null-space control system are described from a theoretical point of view. Then, the software architecture that enabled the control of the Kinova will be described. Finally, experimental results will be reported under two conditions: - Static = robot stationary in the home position and collaboration with the human trying to move the end effector to the desired position by dragging it; - Dynamic = the robot knows the desired position and, by means of an optimal trajectory, automatically reaches it, guaranteeing safety conditions should it come into contact with a human body; These two analyses then led to the thought that the efficiency of handling and work safety could be improved by implementing an additional control system that could exploit the redundancy concept of the mechanical arm. The conclusions are therefore based on the description of how a null-space control system can be developed and implemented in the robot.