Discrete-Time Inverse Dynamics Control of Flexible Joint Robots

This paper focuses on the problem of the application of inverse dynamics control methods to robots with flexible joints and electromechanical actuators. Due to drawbacks of the continuous-time inverse dynamics, discussed in the paper, a new control strategy in discrete-time is presented. The proposed control algorithm is based on numerical methods conceived for the solution of index-three systems of differential-algebraic equations. The method is computationally efficient and admits low sampling frequencies. The results of numerical experiments confirm the advantages of the designed control algorithm.