Distributed trajectory generation for cooperative multi-arm robots via virtual force interactions

A trajectory generation method for multi-arm robots through cooperative and competitive interactions among multiple end-effectors is proposed. The method can generate the trajectories of the multiple arms in a distributed manner based on a concept of a virtual interaction force which represents an interaction between an end-effector and an environment. It is shown that the method is effective not only for simple cooperative tasks such as positioning a common object, but also for more complicated tasks including relative motions among arms.