Development of an Autonomous Skid Steering Based Mobile Robot-Manipulation System for Automating Warehouse Logistics Operations in Kazakhstan

Young researchers 2020-2022
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The project aims to develop a novel concept of an autonomous skid-steering based mobile-robot-manipulation system for implementing standard warehouse task functionalities, such as object detection and picking operations, e.g. object picking from shelves, satisfying system kinematic and environmental constrains and realizing autonomous robot navigation in human present environment.

Commercially available wireshouse robots use specialized versatile mobile chassis with multiple support or omnidirectional mechanicum wheels, allowing them to make 360-degrees rotations in spot in a constrained environment. As an alternative, the cost of such robots could be reduced using a modular approach with a lightweight commercial robot-manipulator mounted on top of a skid-steered 4×4 mobile robot platform, providing very high maneuverability including in-spot 360 degrees rotation. A skid-steered robot can be designed as a simple and robust mobile platform using standard mechatronic modules and sensors, however, its accurate motion control requires employing advanced kinematic/dynamic model based control algorithms, taking into account the ground surface slippage that can be estimated indirectly using advanced estimation algorithms.

- Methods for controlling a skid-steering mobile robot platform while satisfying system kinematic and dynamic constrains;
- A control framework of a 6-DOF robot-manipulator for implementing autonomous object detection and picking operations;
- Collision-free manipulation control framework of a combined skid-steered mobile platform + 6 DOF robot manipulator system for realizing autonomous object detection and picking operations in dynamic environment;
- Training of highly skilled robotics MSc and PhD students at Nazarbayev University through developing a functioning system prototypes and “know-how” generation for future innovative robotics projects with commercial potential.