A method is presented for modeling the trajectories of a robot and obstacles in three spaces (x, y, and time) such that potential collisions can be detected in a direct manner; no a priori knowledge of the obstacle's trajectory is required. Having determined that a collision will occur, a method for avoiding such collisions by altering the time and space trajectory for the robot is presented. The modeling has been intentionally designed to be succinct enough that the collision avoidance algorithm can run in real-time, thus making it suitable for inclusion as part of a robot navigation system for a real mobile robot. Results of simulations are presented and discussed.>

Improved dexterity is an area of current research in robotics. At Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico we are pursuing research in this area with the aid of a Stanford/JPL hand from Salisbury Robotics. In this paper we present some of the issues raised in studying the characteristics and control of a single finger of the dexterous hand. The issues we present are dynamic modeling, friction based hysteresis, and identification of the finger system. We also discuss our present method for sensing and control.