Dynamical modeling of cooperating underactuated manipulators for space manipulation

Underactuation may arise when a manipulator includes at least one passive joint. Free-flying platforms fall under passive systems since they can be considered as linked to a fixed base by 6-d.o.f. free joints with no friction. Dynamics of underactuated cooperating manipulators have become a bigger challenge when underactuation is encountered by the combination of free, flexible and/or active joints in the context of a free-flying platform. This paper demonstrates the presented methodology on the dynamical modeling and simulation of underactuated manipulators cooperating to perform a common task on a free-flying space platform.