Configuration Optimization for Multiple Nonholonomic Mobile Manipulators with Holonomic Interaction

This paper presents an analytical method for quantitative performance analysis and configuration optimization for the cooperation of multiple nonholonomic mobile manipulators to transport a common object. The major challenge of such cooperation comes from the requirement of tight physical interactions between the robotic agents through a payload. The cooperation as a mobile constrained articulation system that takes into account the nonholonomic constraints due to the wheels together with the holonomic constraints due to the physical interactions are modeled and analyzed. Performance of several representative scenarios with varying actuation arrangements are then quantified in terms of manipulability measure. Subsequently, the measure is utilized to determine the optimal configuration of the cooperation permitting the payload transported in a near omnidirectional manner.