Educational robotics - control

Abstract

In this project – Educational Robotics (Control), the focus will be to create a Robotic Arm that will allow students to have hands-on approach to learning the key concepts of Control Loops used in Robotic applications.

The objective is to builf a robotic arm from scratch, then program the robot to function according to the user defined Joint Angle and PD Parameters. The Joint Angle and PD Parameters will be input by the student through a User Interface. Through this Robotic Arm, the student will be able to see the effects of PD Control, and even plot the Arm's response in Matlab.

As it might be tough for some students to visualize the effects of PD Control just by going through the EE4268 lecture, students may want to have a system that will enable to see the effects, instead of just visualizing – so as to create a better understanding, and even stimulate the student's interest in robotics.

The hardware used in this project to build the robotic arm are the Servo-To-Go Card and Maxon DC Motors. C++ will be used for programming in Microsoft Visual Studio 6, and Microsoft Foundation Class will be used to create the end user interface.