Cartesian Impedance Control of Redundant and Flexible-Joint Robots

The monograph written by Christian Ott is devoted to the classical research topic of impedance control which has recently found new interest after the progress in the mechanical design of lightweight robotic systems with improved actuation and sensing principles. The contents expand the authors doctoral dissertation and are focused on two key issues, namely joint flexibility and kinematic redundancy. A number of effective controllers are developed in theory, based on consolidated approaches such as singular perturbation and passivity, and are tested in extensive experiments on the DLR humanoid manipulator Justin, one of the most advanced robotic systems available up to date from a technology and mechatronics standpoint.