In this paper we present a framework that allows the motion control of a
robotic arm automatically handling different kinds of safety-related tasks. The
developed controller is based on a Task-Priority Inverse Kinematics algorithm
that allows the manipulator's motion while respecting constraints defined
either in the joint or in the operational space in the form of equality-based
or set-based tasks. This gives the possibility to define, among the others,
tasks as joint-limits, obstacle avoidance or limiting the workspace in the
operational space. Additionally, an algorithm for the real-time computation of
the minimum distance between the manipulator and other objects in the
environment using depth measurements has been implemented, effectively allowing
obstacle avoidance tasks. Experiments with a Jaco2 manipulator, operating in
an environment where an RGB-D sensor is used for the obstacles detection, show
the effectiveness of the developed system