Mobile manipulator path planning by a genetic algorithm

This article addresses the path‐planning problem for a mobile manipulator system that is used to perform a sequence of tasks specified by locations and minimum oriented force capabilities. The problem is to find an optimal sequence of base positions and manipulator configurations for performing a sequence of tasks given a series of task specifications. The formulation of the problem is nonlinear. The feasible regions for the problem are nonconvex and unconnected. Genetic algorithms applied to such problems appear to be very promising while traditional optimization methods cause difficulties. Computer simulations are carried out on a three‐degrees‐of‐freedom manipulator mounted on a two‐degrees‐of‐freedom mobile base to search for the near optimal path‐planning solution for performing the sequence of tasks. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.