Kinematic dexterity maximization of an omnidirectional wheeled mobile robot: A comparison of metaheuristic and SQP algorithms

Mobile robots with omnidirectional wheels are expected to perform a wide variety of movements in a narrow space. However, kinematic mobility and dexterity have not been clearly identified as an objective to be considered when designing omnidirectional redundant robots. In light of this fact, this article proposes to maximize the dexterity of the mobile robot by properly locating the omnidirectional wheels. In addition, four hybrid differential evolution (DE) algorithm based on the synergetic integration of different kinds of mutation and crossover are presented. A comparison of metaheuristic and gradient-based algorithms for kinematic dexterity maximization is also presented.