Forcecontrolled

Forcecontrolled, often written as force-controlled or force control, is a control paradigm in robotics and automation where the controller regulates the contact force exerted by a manipulator on its environment rather than prescribing a specific trajectory. In force control, feedback from force or force-torque sensors guides actuation to achieve a desired force profile, enabling compliant interaction with uncertain or delicate surroundings.

Direct force control attempts to match a prescribed force by adjusting actuator input directly in response to force errors. More common are impedance and admittance control schemes. Impedance control prescribes a mechanical relationship between end-effector motion and interaction force, effectively shaping the robot’s dynamic response to contact. Admittance control, by contrast, uses measured contact force to modify commanded motion through a virtual admittance, with the robot following the dynamics of a designed virtual system.

Hybrid force/position control combines force-control goals in certain directions with position-control goals in others, allowing tasks such as contact-rich assembly where some axes require precise force regulation while others follow positional accuracy.

Applications of forcecontrol span delicate manipulation and interaction tasks, including assembly, deburring, grinding, robotic-assisted surgery, haptics, and manipulation of fragile objects. It is valued for improving safety and reducing damage to surroundings by enabling compliant, adaptive contact.

Challenges include the need for accurate force sensing, noise and latency in measurement, contact instability, and sensitivity to model mismatches and friction. Practical implementations require careful tuning and, often, integration with sensor fusion and robust control techniques. See also force control, impedance control, admittance control, and hybrid force/position control.