In context
In the early 2020s, mobile manipulators were increasingly deployed in hazardous environments such as nuclear facilities, where human entry is unsafe. Door-opening remained a challenging integrated task requiring perception, compliant control, and coordinated motion between the mobile base and the arm, especially for wide-angle doors.
What was reported
Researchers at Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai) and partners developed a compliant door-opening technology for mobile manipulators based on a platform-manipulator collaboration strategy. The system uses a binocular camera and LiDAR to detect and locate the door and handle, fusing YOLOv5 detection with RANSAC plane fitting to estimate the door plane and opening angle.
For grasping and rotating the handle, a model-based adaptive impedance controller was designed to enhance compliance and disturbance rejection. A multi-task modular planning framework couples the manipulator and mobile platform at the kinematic level, enabling coordinated motion during door opening.
Experiments on a mobile manipulator platform showed that the adaptive controller reduced contact force oscillation range by 30% compared to traditional impedance control. The strategy successfully completed a 70-degree door-opening task, validating its feasibility and effectiveness.
Why it mattered
This work addressed a key limitation in mobile manipulation—coordinating base and arm motion to avoid singular configurations and maintain optimal posture. The approach could extend to other tasks like valve turning or panel access in hazardous or unstructured environments, improving autonomy and safety.
The experimental results show that the proposed adaptive compliant controller reduces the contact force oscillation range by 30% compared to the traditional impedance controller.
Source: 《机器人》期刊 (robot.sia.cn) · Published 2025-10-10 · “基于车—臂协同策略的移动机械臂柔顺开门技术”