Flexible Joint Robots

Joint flexibility from harmonic or direct drives or flexible couplings limits the performance of robots. Performance can be improved by taking into account the fast dynamics that are introduced by joint flexibility. High gain acceleration feedback from the link angles simplifies the robot dynamics, but is limited by joint flexibility. One solution is to use joint torque feedback to stabilize the fast dynamics. In light of this, drive systems that incorporate joint torque sensors are being developed. Flexible Joint Robots is the first book to consider the myriad problems and potential solutions that affect flexible joint robot design. The book covers fundamental concepts, including joint torque feedback control laws, acceleration feedback, and adaptive control laws. It presents a dynamic model of a flexible joint robot in several coordinate systems and includes an analysis of the fast dynamics.