An industrial robot that has uses a simulated force vector to allow a work
piece held by the robot end effector to be mated with a work piece whose
location and orientation is not precisely known to the robot. When the
end effector makes contact with the location and orientation in which the
other work piece is held the robot provides a velocity command to
minimize the force of the contact and also provides a search pattern in
all directions and orientations to cause the end effector to bring the
work piece it is holding in contact with the other work piece. The search
pattern and the velocity command are continued until the two work pieces
mate.
