Highlighting the control of networked robotic systems, this book synthesizes a unified passivity-based approach to an emerging cross-disciplinary subject. Thanks to this unified approach, readers can access various state-of-the-art research fields by studying only the background foundations associated with passivity. In addition to the theoretical results and techniques, the authors provide experimental case studies on testbeds of robotic systems including networked haptic devices, visual robotic systems, robotic network systems and visual sensor network systems. The text begins with an introduction to passivity and passivity-based control together with the other foundations needed in this book. The main body of the book consists of three parts. The first examines how passivity can be utilized for bilateral teleoperation and demonstrates the inherent robustness of the passivity-based controller against communication delays. The second part emphasizes passivity's usefulness for visual feedback control and estimation. Convergence is rigorously proved even when other passive components are interconnected. The passivity approach is also differentiated from other methodologies. The third part presents the unified passivity-based control-design methodology for multi-agent systems. This scheme is shown to be either immediately applicable or easily extendable to the solution of various motion coordination problems including 3-D attitude/pose synchronization, flocking control and cooperative motion estimation. Academic researchers and practitioners working in systems and control and/or robotics will appreciate the potential of the elegant and novel approach to the control of networked robots presented here. The limited background required and the case-study work described also make the text appropriate for and, it is hoped, inspiring to students.

As the capability and utility of robots has increased dramatically with new technology, robotic systems can perform tasks that are physically dangerous for humans, repetitive in nature, or require increased accuracy, precision, and sterile conditions to radically minimize human error. The Robotics and Automation Handbook addresses the major aspects of designing, fabricating, and enabling robotic systems and their various applications. It presents kinetic and dynamic methods for analyzing robotic systems, considering factors such as force and torque. From these analyses, the book develops several controls approaches, including servo actuation, hybrid control, and trajectory planning. Design aspects include determining specifications for a robot, determining its configuration, and utilizing sensors and actuators. The featured applications focus on how the specific difficulties are overcome in the development of the robotic system. With the ability to increase human safety and precision in applications ranging from handling hazardous materials and exploring extreme environments to manufacturing and medicine, the uses for robots are growing steadily. The Robotics and Automation Handbook provides a solid foundation for engineers and scientists interested in designing, fabricating, or utilizing robotic systems.

This monograph describes the Reaction Wheel Pendulum, the newest inverted-pendulum-like device for control education and research. We discuss the history and background of the reaction wheel pendulum and other similar experimental devices. We develop mathematical models of the reaction wheel pendulum in depth, including linear and nonlinear models, and models of the sensors and actuators that are used for feedback control. We treat various aspects of the control problem, from linear control of themotor, to stabilization of the pendulum about an equilibrium configuration using linear control, to the nonlinear control problem of swingup control. We also discuss hybrid and switching control, which is useful for switching between the swingup and balance controllers. We also discuss important practical issues such as friction modeling and friction compensation, quantization of sensor signals, and saturation. This monograph can be used as a supplement for courses in feedback control at the undergraduate level, courses in mechatronics, or courses in linear and nonlinear state space control at the graduate level. It can also be used as a laboratory manual and as a reference for research in nonlinear control.

This self-contained introduction to practical robot kinematics and dynamics includes a comprehensive treatment of robot control. Provides background material on terminology and linear transformations, followed by coverage of kinematics and inverse kinematics, dynamics, manipulator control, robust control, force control, use of feedback in nonlinear systems, and adaptive control. Each topic is supported by examples of specific applications. Derivations and proofs are included in many cases. Includes many worked examples, examples illustrating all aspects of the theory, and problems.