Precise Positioning of a Robotic Arm Manipulator Using Stereo Computer Vision and Iterative Learning Control Kaloyan Yovchev 1, 3 , Denis Chikurtev 2, 3 , Nayden Chivarov 3 , Nedko Shivarov 3 1 Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria k.yovchev@fmi.uni-sofia.bg 2 Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria denis@iinf.bas.bg 3 European Polytechnical University, Pernik, Bulgaria {nshivarov,nedko}@code.bg Abstract. Modern service robots are a combination of a mobile platform and a robotic manipulator. One of the main and most difficult tasks in front of these robots is the object transportation between two points. They should be able to detect any desired object. Then move the platform as close as possible to the desired object. Afterwards the manipulator arm should position the gripper near it. The last step is to grasp and transport the object. This paper presents a novel approach for solving the manipulator arm positioning problem. The presented method combines computer vision and Iterative Learning Control techniques in order to compensate any imprecisions of the robot kinematics and dynamics. This results in an efficient solution, which succeeds in precise positioning near the desired object even when there is a very little knowledge of those mathematics models. It is a robust method, which auto adapts to mechanical wear during normal operations, not severe damages or imprecise factory assembly. The method is then validated on a physical robotic manipulator. Keywords: Manipulator Positioning, Service Robots, Computer Vision, Iterative Learning Control. 1 Introduction Service robots will become a huge part of the daily human life. They will be personal assistants to the people at their homes or workplaces. Service robots will take care of ill people in the hospitals, elderly and disabled in their homes. They will serve drugs, foods and drinks, will remind for specific tasks and will follow the person, for example to carry oxygen tanks, for monitoring and safeguarding, etc. To be able to perform their daily tasks and responsibilities, service robots must have different functions and tools that provide mobility, intelligent behavior, manipulation with objects and safety. Those RAAD2017, 056, v3 (final): ’Precise Positioning of a Robotic Arm Manipulator Using . . . 1