Modeling of flexible elements in robotic systems for modular environments

Recently, modularity in robotics has received considerable attention. For successful implementation of such an architecture, development of user-friendly, modular software becomes crucial. In order to address this problem, a model of the modular system is needed that can: (1) represent the system with an acceptable accuracy; and (2) be easily restructured for different robot configurations. In this study, the authors develop a dynamic model for modular robots that may have flexible components. They consider that the flexible components are distributed throughout the system such that they can induce either link or joint deflections. The system model is derived in a format that readily lends itself to controller design