Combined inverse-dynamics/passivity-based control for robots with elastic joints

Abstract

We consider the global tracking control problem of robots with elastic joints. Even if joint elasticity introduces beneficial features for modern applications which require physically resilient and safer robots that can interact with the environment or humans, it challenges the achievable control performance. We propose a novel controller which combines the benefits of two approaches: the intrinsic robustness to model uncertainty from passivity-based control and the implementation efficiency of inverse-dynamics control schemes using a modern recursive algorithm. The novel controller is applied to an elastic-joint reconfigurable robotic arm using a recently proposed framework for on-the-fly control design. Simulation and experimental results validate our proposed approach.