ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with fundamental control problems in robotic manipulation. It focuses on fundamental control problems in robotics with special emphasis on robotic manipulation. According to the Robot Institute of America, a robot manipulator is fundamentally a positioning device designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks. Thus, the motion control is a fundamental issue for the execution of manipulation tasks. Suitable linear decentralized feedforward compensation terms can be used to improve the tracking capability of desired trajectories with high values of speed and acceleration. To further improve performance, the interaction between the joints can be compensated by a nonlinear centralized feedforward action. In conventional manipulation structures, these additional goals or secondary tasks are typically used to improve the value of performance criteria during motion.