An Experimental Study of a Bluetooth Communication System for Robot Motion Control

Abstract

This paper presents a method that aims to reduce the complex cabling problem in robotics applications, so as to prevent difficulties in troubleshooting processes and failures in case of cable breaks. Examples in the literature have proven the reliability of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) based communication systems and indicated that it could be employed in sensor data transfer applications. Therefore, our solution to the aforementioned issue is independent joint modules that comprise a motor driver, a microcontroller for running servo control loops, and a BLE device that enables the module to communicate with the main processor of the robot without the need of bulky cabling. Target applications for this method are mobile robots that encapsulate onboard processors and actuators that are deployed within a short range.