Energy savings of a 2-DOF manipulator with redundant actuation

This paper covers the energy-saving features of a robotics system by redundant actuation. By installing more actuators than the degrees of freedom, the actuating torques can be distributed This distribution can reduce the overall energy loss, which reduces the overall energy consumption. An experiment was conducted with a 2-DOF general manipulator and redundant actuated manipulator; these were made to follow a typical welding pathway used in an automotive factory. The results showed that the redundant manipulator saved up to 38% electrical energy for actuation compared to the general manipulator.