Trajectory Tracking Performance Analysis of Underwater Manipulator for Autonomous Manipulation

Abstract

In this study, the end-effector tracking performance of a manipulator installed on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for autonomous underwater intervention is verified. The underwater manipulator is an ARM 7E MINI model produced by the ECA group, which consists of six joints and one gripper. Of the six joints of the manipulator, two are revolute joints and the other four are prismatic joints. Velocity control is used to control the manipulator with forward and inverse kinematics. When the manipulator approaches a target object, it is difficult for the ROV to maintain its position and posture, owing to various disturbances, such as the variation in both the center of mass and the reaction force resulting from the manipulator motion. Therefore, it is necessary to compensate for the influences and ensure the relative distance to the object. Simulations and experiments are performed to track the trajectory of a virtual object, and the tracking performance is verified from the results.