Simultaneous optimization of a flexible robot arm

Integrated structure/control design of a one-link flexible robot arm is investigated in this paper. The arm consists of a tip mass, a flexible link and a hub and is driven by the hub motor to reach pre-defined tip position and suppress residual flexural vibrations. The arm is modeled using finite element method and the cross-sectional dimensions of the beam elements are used as structural design variables. A sliding mode controller and a linear stabilizer are used to regulate the arm position. The structural and control parameters are optimized simultaneously using genetic algorithm and the simulation results show the advantages of the new design method: faster regulation and less weight for the optimized arm than a uniform arm.