Path Planning for a Digital Robotic Arm

Discretely actuated or digital robotic manipulators have become popular because they are highly repeatable, need no feedback control, and are relatively less expensive and lightweight compared to continuously actuated manipulators. This research investigates trajectory planning for discretely actuated manipulators within a static environment without obstacles and with known initial and final positions. In particular, the focus will be on minimizing oscillations of a path trajectory and minimizing the deviation from the ideal path, as well as minimizing the torque required to actuate each joint. Motion strategies are developed and their effect studied.