The invention relates to the control of robot manipulators comprised of a macro-manipulator combined with a micro-manipulator with a load grasping device. The control is accomplished from set-point values of force (F.sup.d) and set-point values of position (.chi..sup.d), which are compared to real values (F.sup.m, .chi..sup.m) in order to produce increments of displacement (.DELTA.x, .DELTA.y, .DELTA.z, .DELTA..theta.x, .DELTA..theta.y, .DELTA..theta.z) intended for the load grasping device. Added to values (.chi..sup.m) representing the actual position, these increments yield new set-point values of position (.chi.'.sup.d) of the load grasping device. These set-point values are distributed (at 29) between the macro-manipulator and the micro-manipulator, taking into account the deformation (.DELTA.X ) and the mobility that are acceptable for the macro-manipulator. Specific application: robot manipulator of large size and high capacity for outdoor use, especially on construction sites.