Force servo control of a commercial gantry robot

Sandia National Laboratories is investigating robotic handling of spent nuclear fuel shipping casks for the proposed geologic waste repositories. Robotic handling will impact not only the design of the transportation casks but also the overall design of the waste repository. A goal of robotic handling is reduction of personnel radiation exposure. One of the major technology development areas has been the integration of sensors into the control of the robot system to allow operation in semi-structured environments. In particular, a multiaxis force sensor is used to make robot trajectory corrections based on the contact forces between the robot and cask. This force feedback system allows contact swipes (smears) to be made on the cask surface in a safe, repeatable manner. 9 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.