Systems and methods of coordination control for robot manipulation

A method of controlling a robotic apparatus comprising a plurality of movable elements coupled to one another via one or more joints defining one or more degrees of freedom of movement for each of the movable elements, at least one of said movable elements comprising a mobile base for the apparatus, the control method comprising:

• receiving input signals indicating a desired position or motion constraint for at least one of the movable elements;
• generating, based on the input signals, a plurality of control signals to control movement of the mobile base and at least one other movable element to achieve the desired motion by optimizing a pre-defined scalar function of the motion and positions of the movable elements and the mobile base;
• applying the control signals to the mobile base and the at least one other movable element to concurrently move the mobile base and the at least one other movable element to effect the desired motion;
• wherein the pre-defined scalar function is defined by:
• μ=½{dot over (q)}TW{dot over (q)}+α{dot over (q)}TF,
• where q is a n-length vector representation of the positions of the one or more joints and the mobile base;
• with {dot over (q)} being its time derivative (change in position over time);
• W is a matrix function W(q);
• F is a vector function of configuration;
• and α is a scalar function of configuration;
• and
• wherein W, F and α are selected to define a control strategy for controlling the robotic apparatus.