Dynamic control of flexible, kinematically redundant robot manipulators

It is shown how choosing the self-motion inherent in redundant arms is crucially important when flexibility is present. The self-motion, by exciting or damping the flexural modes, alters the dynamic response of the arms. Kinematic redundancy can also be used in many cases to help damp out vibrations. This issue is examined, and control algorithms designed to regulate the flexibility while maintaining precise tracking of the end-effector trajectory are introduced. The controllers are of the computed torque type in end-effector space, and use self-motion of the links to reduce the flexible effects