Adaptive Jacobian position/force tracking control of free-flying manipulators

This paper solves the problem of position/force tracking control of a free-flying space manipulator with uncertain kinematics and dynamics. A free-flying manipulator interacting with an uncertain compliant surface is considered. To cope with the uncertainties arising from free-flyer’s kinematics, dynamics and surface stiffness and position, an adaptive Jacobian controller is devised. The convergence of the force and position tracking errors is proved based on Lyapunov stability analysis. Numerical simulation is presented to show the performance of the controller.