Dynamics and workspace analysis of a multi-robot collaborative towing system with floating base

A multi-robot collaborative towing system fixed on floating base for high load marine work was established in this paper, and its dynamics and workspace were analyzed. An improved Monte-Carlo method was optimized, considering that this method cannot be directly used for the multi-robot system. Firstly, according to the structure of the system, the dynamics equations of the towing mechanism and the floating base were established by using the Newton-Euler method and rigid body dynamics, respectively. Then, an improved Monte-Carlo method was optimized, and the specific steps of solving the dynamic workspace by the optimized method were provided. Lastly, the system was divided into three types according to the actuator, and their dynamic workspace were simulated with a practical example by the traditional Monte-Carlo method and the optimized method. The simulation results show that, compared with traditional method, the optimized method has higher efficiency and can figure a workspace with clear boundary. Results of this study lay a basis for the subsequent trajectory plan and stability analysis of the system.