Control of underactuated robot manipulators using switching computed torque method: GA based approach

A new concept for controlling of underactuated robot manipulators is presented by using switching computed torque method. One fundamental feature of the present approach is to use the partly stable controllers (PSCs) in order to fulfill the ultimate control objective. Dynamic model of an underactuated robot system is directly analyzed to synthesize partly stable, computed torque controllers without performing rigorous linearizations or any other deformation methods to the original nonlinear system. Here, we use genetic algorithms (GAs) to employ the optimum control action for a given time frame with the available set of elemental controllers, depending on which links or state variables are controlled, i.e. the selection of optimum switching sequence of the control actions. Two underactuated robot manipulators are taken into consideration so as to illustrate the design procedure. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. This basic concept has led authors to explore a vast research area on controlling underactuated manipulators.