Decentralized autonomous mechanism for fault-tolerant control of a kinematically redundant manipulator

A decentralized autonomous control algorithm is proposed for a kinematically redundant manipulator to realize adaptability to partial failure. This algorithm was evaluated in a computer simulation of a 10-jointed manipulator. The manipulator which uses this control algorithm can autonomously adapt to various types of mechanical failure, such as low torque gain, torque limitation, and joint-lock in up to three joints. The adaptability to joint-lock was also evaluated in a task in a space robotics mission.