Application of a model reference adaptive feedback linearization controller to a magnetic telemanipulation system

This paper presents an adaptive controller design for a telemanipulation system with a varying mass. The telemanipulation system levitates a microrobot with weight of 28(gr). The levitated robot is equipped with a micro gripper and is designed for precise pick and place operations, and carrying payloads as heavy as 8 (gr). In this paper, a model reference adaptive feedback linearization (MRAFL) controller is designed so as to reject the effects of variations in the mass of the levitated robot. Through experimental results it is shown that the proposed MRAFL controller is capable of rejecting mass variations as big as 30% of the robot´s initial mass without any considerable effect on the positioning accuracy of the system.