Development of modular and reconfigurable robot with multiple working modes

A modular and reconfigurable robot (MRR) with multiple working modes for performing manipulation in uncontrolled environments is developed in this thesis. In the proposed MRR design, each joint module can independently work in active mode or passive mode. Major contributions of this thesis include the development of the passive mode with a unique friction compensation method and the use of force control in manipulation, such as door opening. In order to implement force control, the kinematics model and Jacobian matrix of the manipulator are derived by using the twist and wrench method, which is superior to the common D-H method, and the complete force analysis of the spherical wrist is presented as well. As a case study, the door opening process using force control is investigated by simulation and experiments. Door opening is successfully demonstrated using the developed MRR with multiple working modes.