ARM: An algebraic robot dynamic modeling program

The computer program ARM (Algebraic Robot Modeler) has been implemented to generate symbolically the forward solution and complete Lagrangian dynamic robot model for control engineering applications. Development and application of this versatile dynamic modeling and control engineering tool are highlighted in this paper. The Q matrix formulation is employed to develop nested iterative algorithms for the symbolic computation of the inertial, centrifugal and Coriolis, and gravitational components of the Lagrangian dynamic robot model. The computational requirements are enumerated as functions of the number of degrees-of-freedom of the manipulator. Automatic generation of the centrifugal and Coriolis force vector dominates the computational load for both state-of-the-art and futuristic robots. The forward solution and complete dynamic model for the three degree-of-freedom positioning system of the Puma robot are exhibited to illustrate the capabilities of Arm. On-going enhancements to ARM are then summarized.