This project presents the design of a manipulator add-on for the educational robotic mobile platform named the RELbot to add kinematic and dynamic complexity to the system. This would allow the RELbot system to be used in more mechatronics-oriented courses of the MSc-Robotics program.
A 2DOF RR robotic arm was developed with a modular control stack, dividing the control of the system into three distinct components which can be implemented by the user. An accompanying model of the system was developed within 20-sim, which allows for safe and remote testing and development of these control components.
Additional safety checks were built into the system to guarantee safe operation for the user, independent of the users’ implementation of the control components. Implementation testing shows that the manipulator is capable of accurately and smoothly moving between end effector waypoints, with an average tracking error of 3.2mm without end effector load, and an average tracking error of 6.2mm with a 100g load. The manipulator shows the promising potential in educational applications due to the high level of modularity it provides, especially for courses related to the design of control systems or system identification theory.