Sliding mode control of flexible robots

"Robots are playing increasingly important roles in our lives. They are widely used in industries and in non-invasive surgeries. Robots also place satellites into orbits and do maintenance work outside the Space Station. At sea, remotely controlled mobile underwater vehicles are used in search and rescue missions. Robo-planes photograph enemy positions and transmit intelligence. Robots will also be clearing land mines and decontaminate polluted sites. Hence, robots are important in today's world. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the control of flexible robots. The objectives are to accurately position the payload at the tip of the arm and suppress vibrations of the links. As simulations were used in this study, different models for robots are first looked at. Next, the various control laws that are in use are studied. To overcome the shortcomings of these control laws, Terminal Sliding Mode Control and Sliding Mode Control used in combination with Linear Control are applied to control these flexible robots: the Mass Beam System, the Single Link Flexible Robot Manipulator and the Two Link Flexible Robot Manipulator. Results obtained show that finite time control of flexible robots can be achieved using the above mentioned control laws which have the added advantage that chatterings often present in conventional sliding mode control are absent when these forms of control are used. The thesis concludes with discussions on the contributions made and suggestions for further research."--Abstract