Mechatronic Implementation of a Force Optimal Underconstrained Planar Cable Robot

Abstract

This paper presents a mechatronic implementation for experimentally validating an approach toward optimal force generation for a planar underconstrained cable robot that is designed to operate on the vertical face of overhead roadway signs. The cables that actuate the robot extend over a set of rotatable pulley arms mounted at the top corners of the sign. The redundant degrees of freedom due to the pulley arms allow for improved force generation ability of the robot at all desired locations on the sign. Redundancy is resolved by optimizing the anisotropic force generated in a desired direction. The mechatronic implementation is performed using a novel smartphone-based architecture for imaging, kinematics, I/O, optimization, and control. The implementation hardware and software are detailed, and experimental results are presented, which validate the theory.