Inverse kinematics of mobile manipulators based on differential evolution

The solution of the inverse kinematics of mobile manipulators is a fundamental capability to solve problems such as path planning, visual-guided motion, object grasping, and so on. In this article, we present a metaheuristic approach to solve the inverse kinematic problem of mobile manipulators. In this approach, we represent the robot kinematics using the Denavit–Hartenberg model. The algorithm is able to solve the inverse kinematic problem taking into account the mobile platform. The proposed approach is able to avoid singularities configurations, since it does not require the inversion of a Jacobian matrix. Those are two of the main drawbacks to solve inverse kinematics through traditional approaches. Applicability of the proposed approach is illustrated using simulation results as well as experimental ones using an omnidirectional mobile manipulator.