Finite-Horizon Kinetic Energy Optimization of a Redundant Space Manipulator

Featured Application The proposed optimal inverse kinematics method is suitable for space robotics applications, e.g., space servicing and active debris removal (ADR). It is also suitable for industrial robotics applications, e.g., in the planar operations of SCARA robots. The minimization of energy consumption is of the utmost importance in space robotics. For redundant manipulators tracking a desired end-effector trajectory, most of the proposed solutions are based on locally optimal inverse kinematics methods. On the one hand, these methods are suitable for real-time implementation; nevertheless, on the other hand, they often provide solutions quite far from the globally optimal one and, moreover, are prone to singularities. In this paper, a novel inverse kinematics method for redundant manipulators is presented, which overcomes the above mentioned issues and is suitable for real-time implementation. The proposed method is based on the optimization of the kinetic energy integral on a limited subset of future end-effector path points, making the manipulator joints to move in the direction of minimum kinetic energy. The proposed method is tested by simulation of a three degrees of freedom (DOF) planar manipulator in a number of test cases, and its performance is compared to the classical pseudoinverse solution and to a global optimal method. The proposed method outperforms the pseudoinverse-based one and proves to be able to avoid singularities. Furthermore, it provides a solution very close to the global optimal one with a much lower computational time, which is compatible for real-time implementation.