Modeling of Light Lifting Robotic Arm

Robotic arms are often chosen as the primary manipulator for teleoperated robots specializing in executing tasks that require high skills from humans. The optimization of robotic arm design has been studied extensively using various types of optimization algorithms. However, studies validating and optimizing robotic arms with a high degree of freedom (DOF) using co-simulation techniques are scarce. This study presents the validation and modeling of a five-DOF robotic arm by observing the torques produced by each robotic arm joint using the co-simulation method between Solidworks and Simscape Multibody. The system is modeled in a Solidworks environment with full freedom and overall configurations. The model is then exported to Simscape Multibody for modeling processes. Several validation processes were conducted to validate the Simscape Multibody by comparing torques produced from the three-DOF robotic arm in Simscape with three DOF dynamic equations. Further validation was conducted using coordinate geometry of the end effector position in Solidworks, Simscape, and mathematical geometry models. The proposed co-simulation model agrees with the mathematical model with an average error of 7.6%. This study will likely provide a new approach to the co-simulation technique for systems with a high degree of freedom.