Robot arms have been developing since 1960's, and those are widely used in industrial factories such as welding, painting, assembly, transportation, etc. Nowadays, the robot arms are indispensable for automation of factories. Moreover, applications of the robot arms are not limited to the industrial factory but expanded to living space or outer space. The robot arm is an integrated technology, and its technological elements are actuators, sensors, mechanism, control and system, etc.

Presents pioneering and comprehensive work on engaging movement in robotic arms, with a specific focus on neural networks This book presents and investigates different methods and schemes for the control of robotic arms whilst exploring the field from all angles. On a more specific level, it deals with the dynamic-neural-network based kinematic control of redundant robot arms by using theoretical tools and simulations. Kinematic Control of Redundant Robot Arms Using Neural Networks is divided into three parts: Neural Networks for Serial Robot Arm Control; Neural Networks for Parallel Robot Control; and Neural Networks for Cooperative Control. The book starts by covering zeroing neural networks for control, and follows up with chapters on adaptive dynamic programming neural networks for control; projection neural networks for robot arm control; and neural learning and control co-design for robot arm control. Next, it looks at robust neural controller design for robot arm control and teaches readers how to use neural networks to avoid robot singularity. It then instructs on neural network based Stewart platform control and neural network based learning and control co-design for Stewart platform control. The book finishes with a section on zeroing neural networks for robot arm motion generation. Provides comprehensive understanding on robot arm control aided with neural networks Presents neural network-based control techniques for single robot arms, parallel robot arms (Stewart platforms), and cooperative robot arms Provides a comparison of, and the advantages of, using neural networks for control purposes rather than traditional control based methods Includes simulation and modelling tasks (e.g., MATLAB) for onward application for research and engineering development By focusing on robot arm control aided by neural networks whilst examining central topics surrounding the field, Kinematic Control of Redundant Robot Arms Using Neural Networks is an excellent book for graduate students and academic and industrial researchers studying neural dynamics, neural networks, analog and digital circuits, mechatronics, and mechanical engineering.

This book investigates a biologically inspired method of robot arm control, developed with the objective of synthesising human-like motion dynamically, using nonlinear, robust and adaptive control techniques in practical robot systems. The control method caters to a rising interest in humanoid robots and the need for appropriate control schemes to match these systems. Unlike the classic kinematic schemes used in industrial manipulators, the dynamic approaches proposed here promote human-like motion with better exploitation of the robot’s physical structure. This also benefits human-robot interaction. The control schemes proposed in this book are inspired by a wealth of human-motion literature that indicates the drivers of motion to be dynamic, model-based and optimal. Such considerations lend themselves nicely to achievement via nonlinear control techniques without the necessity for extensive and complex biological models. The operational-space method of robot control forms the basis of many of the techniques investigated in this book. The method includes attractive features such as the decoupling of motion into task and posture components. Various developments are made in each of these elements. Simple cost functions inspired by biomechanical “effort” and “discomfort” generate realistic posture motion. Sliding-mode techniques overcome robustness shortcomings for practical implementation. Arm compliance is achieved via a method of model-free adaptive control that also deals with actuator saturation via anti-windup compensation. A neural-network-centered learning-by-observation scheme generates new task motions, based on motion-capture data recorded from human volunteers. In other parts of the book, motion capture is used to test theories of human movement. All developed controllers are applied to the reaching motion of a humanoid robot arm and are demonstrated to be practically realisable. This book is designed to be of interest to those wishing to achieve dynamics-based human-like robot-arm motion in academic research, advanced study or certain industrial environments. The book provides motivations, extensive reviews, research results and detailed explanations. It is not only suited to practising control engineers, but also applicable for general roboticists who wish to develop control systems expertise in this area.

Third in a series of textbooks on Robotics.This book explains how to assemble a robot arm kit. It gives detailed instruction on assembly and programming the unit.Helpful tips and special notes will allow you to complete the project successfully.A must have for the DIY hobbyist and experimenter.High quality photos.

This is the first book to focus on solving cooperative control problems of multiple robot arms using different centralized or distributed neural network models, presenting methods and algorithms together with the corresponding theoretical analysis and simulated examples. It is intended for graduate students and academic and industrial researchers in the field of control, robotics, neural networks, simulation and modelling.

A modern and unified treatment of the mechanics, planning, and control of robots, suitable for a first course in robotics.

Flexible robotic manipulators pose various challenges in research as compared to rigid robotic manipulators, ranging from system design, structural optimization, and construction to modeling, sensing, and control. Although significant progress has been made in many aspects over the last one-and-a-half decades, many issues are not resolved yet, and simple, effective, and reliable controls of flexible manipulators still remain an open quest. Clearly, further efforts and results in this area will contribute significantly to robotics (particularly automation) as well as its application and education in general control engineering. To accelerate this process, the leading experts in this important area present in this book the state of the art in advanced studies of the design, modeling, control and applications of flexible manipulators. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Flexible-link Manipulators: Modeling, Nonlinear Control and Observer (235 KB). Contents: Flexible-Link Manipulators: Modeling, Nonlinear Control and Observer (M A Arteaga & B Siciliano); Energy-Based Control of Flexible Link Robots (S S Ge); Trajectory Planning and Compliant Control for Two Manipulators to Deform Flexible Materials (O Al-Jarrah et al.); Force Control of Flexible Manipulators (F Matsuno); Experimental Study on the Control of Flexible Link Robots (D Wang); Sensor Output Feedback Control of Flexible Robot Arms (Z-H Luo); On GA Based Robust Control of Flexible Manipulators (Z-Q Xiao & L-L Cui); Analysis of Poles and Zeros for Tapered Link Designs (D L Girvin & W J Book); Optimum Shape Design of Flexible Manipulators with Tip Loads (J L Russell & Y-Q Gao); Mechatronic Design of Flexible Manipulators (P-X Zhou & Z-Q Xiao); A Comprehensive Study of Dynamic Behaviors of Flexible Robotic Links: Modeling and Analysis (Y-Q Gao & F-Y Wang). Readership: Researchers, lecturers and graduate students in robotics & automated systems, electrical & electronic engineering, and industrial engineering

Robotics—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ book that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Autonomous Robotics. The editors have built Robotics—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Autonomous Robotics in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Robotics—Advances in Research and Application: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Advanced robotics describes the use of sensor-based robotic devices which exploit powerful computers to achieve the high levels of functionality that begin to mimic intelligent human behaviour. The object of this book is to summarise developments in the base technologies, survey recent applications and highlight new advanced concepts which will influence future progress.

Bring life to your robot using ROS robotic applications About This Book This book will help you boost your knowledge of ROS and give you advanced practical experience you can apply to your ROS robot platforms This is the only book that offers you step-by-step instructions to solidify your ROS understanding and gain experience using ROS tools From eminent authors, this book offers you a plethora of fun-filled examples to make your own quadcopter, turtlebot, and two-armed robots Who This Book Is For If you are a robotics developer, whether a hobbyist, researchers or professional, and are interested in learning about ROS through a hands-on approach, then this book is for you. You are encouraged to have a working knowledge of GNU/Linux systems and Python. What You Will Learn Get to know the fundamentals of ROS and apply its concepts to real robot examples Control a mobile robot to navigate autonomously in an environment Model your robot designs using URDF and Xacro, and operate them in a ROS Gazebo simulation Control a 7 degree-of-freedom robot arm for visual servoing Fly a quadcopter to autonomous waypoints Gain working knowledge of ROS tools such as Gazebo, rviz, rqt, and Move-It Control robots with mobile devices and controller boards In Detail The visionaries who created ROS developed a framework for robotics centered on the commonality of robotic systems and exploited this commonality in ROS to expedite the development of future robotic systems. From the fundamental concepts to advanced practical experience, this book will provide you with an incremental knowledge of the ROS framework, the backbone of the robotics evolution. ROS standardizes many layers of robotics functionality from low-level device drivers to process control to message passing to software package management. This book provides step-by-step examples of mobile, armed, and flying robots, describing the ROS implementation as the basic model for other robots of these types. By controlling these robots, whether in simulation or in reality, you will use ROS to drive, move, and fly robots using ROS control. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide with hands-on examples of ROS robots, both real and in simulation.