Structure and control co-design of robotic manipulator:a design methodology

The design report presents the development of a methodology for the design of robotic manipulator. The design project was performed at Flanders Make (Strategic Research Institute) in Belgium. While developing robotic manipulators, engineers and system architects make decisions using a preliminary analysis. Robotic manipulators are devices that can be analysed with respect to multiple aspects such as dynamics, kinematics, path planning, materials, sensors etc. While designing such complex systems it is often too qualitatively and quantitatively difficult to compare concepts analyse and make decisions during the concept generation/selection phase. The methodology developed is aimed at aiding system engineers and architects by providing them with useful insights during the concept generation/selection phase. Some of the most important aspects such as kinematics, path planning, dynamics are taken into account in this methodology. The methodology was developed in a short span of 8 months. To facilitate the development, a short project plan is specified. An in-depth analysis of the problem and various advantages of the approach compared to sequential design methodology are then listed. A specific use case where insights on various concepts are crucial during the decision making process is presented. Then the generalised methodology is simultaneously developed with application to the use case