Cartop Manipulation

Wesley H. Huang, Kartik Babu, and Jonathan A. Bandlow
Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Pages 3613-8.
[pdf]

Abstract

This paper explores a novel mode of mobile manipulation using a car-like robot whose chassis does not extend above the height of its wheels. It transports an object that rests on top of the wheels, so as the robot moves forwards, the object moves forward relative to the robot. The robot must maneuver so that the object stays on top of the robot, or a second robot must be in position to receive the robot as it rolls off the first. We describe the mechanics of this system, describe its basic maneuvers and manipulation techniques, present a motion planner for generating plans to transport an object, and give results of our experimental implementation of this system.

BibTeX entry

@STRING{icra = "IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation"}
@InProceedings{Huang03b,
  author = 	 {Wesley H. Huang and Kartik Babu and Jonathan A. Bandlow},
  title = 	 {Cartop Manipulation},
  booktitle =	 icra,
  pages =        {3613--3618},
  year =	 2003
}