Simulation of a high-speed lightweight arm

Computer simulations of the motion of a lightweight high-speed robotic arm are reported. The purpose of the simulations is to investigate the use of feedforward control along with various feedback control schemes. The numerical parameters are for an arm constructed at the Georgia Institute of Technology; however, the results are intended to be generally applicable to any lightweight, high-speed manipulator. Active control is used to damp first-mode oscillations of the links, and passive damping is used to attenuate higher modes. The simulation makes use of classical control methods as well as optimal control with feedforward torques for each control law. The mass of the payload is varied to demonstrate the robustness of the control system. All motions are based on a function S(t), a fourth-order spline with third-order continuity, which determines the desired velocity profile for the end effector. The simulation shows that dynamic errors of the order of one thousandth of a radian are reasonable