In this work, a control scheme for human-robot collaborative object transportation is proposed, considering a quadruped robot equipped with the MIGHTY suction cup that serves both as a gripper for holding the object and a force/torque sensor. The proposed control scheme is based on the notion of admittance control, and incorporates a variable damping term aiming towards increasing the controllability of the human and, at the same time, decreasing her/his effort. Furthermore, to ensure that the object is not detached from the suction cup during the collaboration, an additional control signal is proposed, which is based on a barrier artificial potential. The proposed control scheme is proven to be passive and its performance is demonstrated through experimental evaluations conducted using the Unitree Go1 robot equipped with the MIGHTY suction cup.

Nowadays, robotic arms are ubiquitously employed for object manipulation across a spectrum of applications, spanning from production lines to warehouses, and encompassing both stationary and mobile robotic systems. Among the most prevalent end-effectors, used for the majority of these applications, are suction cups. The rudimentary act of grasping an object and relocating it, devoid of a cognizant awareness of the forces stemming from the object’s motion and grip, can result in suboptimal and inefficient robot movements. In more dire circumstances, such negligent handling may precipitate detachment of the object from the end-effector, potentially incurring damage to either the object or the arm.In this paper, we build upon the advanced sensing and attaching capabilities of our suction cup MIGHTY, and introduce GEM-C, a novel Gravity, External forces and Motion Compensation controller, that constantly adapts the orientation of the suction cup so as to enhance the quality of attachment. Throughout all examined scenarios and experiments, our approach remarkably improved the robot’s performance by providing the optimal end-effector pose while also reducing the stress on the motors and the overall power consumption. The derived results, clearly demonstrate the MIGHTY and GEM-C schema’s potential for a wide range of demanding robotic manipulation tasks.

The spectrum of applications of robotic systems is constantly being expanded in the research, industrial and even the defense sectors, ranging from manipulation and assembly to critical infrastructure monitoring and post-disaster response. Nevertheless, contemporary robotic capabilities are significantly hindered when traversing through or interacting with complex, unstructured and dynamic environments. To alleviate for that, we introduce in the current work MIGHTY (Multi-functional Intelligent Gripping with High Tolerance), a novel, lightweight, sensor-enhanced vacuum suction cup providing not only enhanced attachment capabilities on a plethora of surfaces of varying roughness, but also robust and accurate contact and force estimation. Its unique design facilitates multiple functionalities, from acting as a gripper for object manipulation to operating as a foot for stable walking and steep surface climbing. The proposed suction cup was extensively assessed under varying experimental setups, in order to validate its capacity to sense the applied force and torque and the torque's axis, as well as its ability to attach on a variety of surfaces. In all cases remarkable results were demonstrated, attesting for its effectiveness and robustness.