Experimental analysis of robot control: a performance standard for the PUMA-560

The tracking performance of a series of model-based control algorithms was evaluated experimentally, The model-based control issues of incomplete and/or asynchronous dynamic compensation, feedback, payload variation, and drive system interaction are analyzed. A model-based controller with complete knowledge of manipulator system dynamics and sliding mode feedback improved the tracking accuracy by a factor of five over feedback alone. The experimental results provide a baseline for a proposed standard trajectory and payload for evaluation of tracking accuracy for the first three links of the PUMA-560. A standard suite of trajectories and payloads will allow researchers to fairly compare the performance of their respective algorithms