Fundamentals of Robot Mechanics and Controls Labs

Posted on May 18, 2020 in Teaching

I believe that students will be better motivated if they can derive the complicated and tedious equations with advanced tools and can visualize the results with a step-by-step coding guide.

After three years of being the TA and then the intructor of the robotics class, I decided to design four labs/tutorials that using Matlab as a simulation tool to help student simulate finally simulate and control a Puma 560 robot tracking a circle.

Existing toolboxes such as Robotic Toolbox by Robotics by Peter Corke can be used to verify our results.

Here are what the four labs covered:

  1. Lab 1: Introduction to Matlab and Rotational Matrix Manipulation

    • Learn the structures of data and commands in MATLAB™.
    • Gain knowledge and familiarity with the MATLAB™ interfaces (command prompt, script files, M-files, and functions)
    • Learn the ways to get help with MATLAB™ (help command, html help, Google)
    • Solve some example mathematics problems with MATLAB™, and plot the solutions
    • Practice manipulation of rotation and homogeneous transformation matrix
    • Compare MATLAB™ to your Python, C, FORTRAN, MathCAD, Pascal, BASIC… programming experiences

  2. Lab 2: Position and Velocity Kinematics

    • Symbolic Toolbox
    • Derive forward Position/Velocity Kinematics Programming
    • Foward kinematics of a two link robot.

  3. Lab 3: Solving Robotics Dynamics

    • Introduction to ODE solving
    • Use MATLAB ODE solvers to solve sample ODEs.
    • Solve robotics dynamics (a two link robot and a Puma 560 robot)

  4. Lab 4: Position and Velocity Kinematics