Collision free trajectory planning for manipulator using potential function

This paper proposes a method for planning the collision free trajectory of a manipulator. In this method, geometrical constraints to avoid obstacles are represented by restrictive potential functions. The dynamic equation of the manipulator is expressed by a path parameter 's' which is the generalized length along the path. The driving torque/force is improved by taking shorter travelling time and collision avoidance into considerations. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a manipulator with three links and is shown to be effective.