Force-Contouring Process Using Uncalibrated Vision and Impedance Control

This paper presents an interaction control strategy for industrial robot manipulators which consists of the combination of a calibration-free, vision-based control method with an impedance control approach. The vision-based, robot control method known as camera-space manipulation is used to map a given, previously-defined trajectory over an arbitrary surface. Then, a kinematic posture-based impedance controller is implemented in order to regulate the interaction forces and torques generated by the contact between the robot end-effector and the work surface where the trajectory is defined. The paper presents experimental evidence on how the vision-force sensory fusion is useful to implement a force contouring task in a machining process, by using a Fanuc M16-iB industrial robot equipped with a wrist force/torque sensor.