Open-Loop Control of a Flecible Manipulator with Two Links: Experimental Results

This paper describes the experimental results of an open loop control technique applied to a flexible manipulator, specially designed for space duties, in order to reduce the residual vibrations at the end of the positioning. The experimental set up is a system with two flexible links with rectangular section connected by rotational joints. First, the experimental identification of the system parameters has been carried out. Then, four different motion inputs have been implemented. The performances of these motion inputs are compared in terms of residual vibration at the end of the positioning. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the motion input pre shaping technique in the reduction of the residual vibrations.