Joint stiffness identification of a heavy Kuka robot with a low-cost clamped end-effector procedure

This paper proposes two new methods for the identification of static stiffnesses of multi degrees of freedom heavy industrial robots. They are based on a locked link joint procedure obtained with an end-effector fixed to the environment. The first method requires only measurements of motor positions and motor torques data computed from motor current measurements and manufacturer´s drive gains. The second one needs a torque sensor to measure the interaction wrench between the clamped end-effector and the environment. These methods are being experimentally validated and compared on the 2 first joints of a 6 degrees of freedom heavy 500Kg payload industrial Kuka KR500 robot.