Patent ID: 8483877

Claim:
A method of controlling a force- or impedance-controlled robot having a controller and a robotic manipulator, wherein the robotic manipulator includes a robotic joint that is moveable via a joint actuator, and wherein the robot operates within an unstructured workspace, the method comprising: proprioceptively sensing a static force applied by the robotic manipulator to its surrounding environment; automatically imposing, via the controller, a saturation limit on the static force applied by the robotic manipulator to its surrounding environment at all times such that the static force cannot at any time exceed the saturation limit; calculating a reflex torque to be imparted by the joint actuator to the robotic joint in response to contact between the robotic manipulator and the object in the unstructured workspace; determining a contact force between the robotic manipulator and an object when the robotic manipulator makes contact with the object; and automatically applying the calculated reflex torque to the robotic joint via the joint actuator as a dynamic reflex when the contact force exceeds a calibrated threshold.