Application of fuzzy logic for the solution of inverse kinematics and hierarchical controls of robotic manipulators

In this thesis work, hierarchical control techniques will be used for controlling a robotic manipulator. The hierarchical control will be implemented with fuzzy logic to improve the robustness and reduce the run time computational requirements. Hierarchical control will consist on solving the inverse kinematic equations using fuzzy logic to direct each individual joint. A commercial Micro-robot with three degrees of freedom will be used to evaluate this methodology.; A decentralized fuzzy controller will be used for each joint, with a Fuzzy Associative Memories (FAM) performing the inverse kinematic mapping in a supervisory mode. The FAM determines the inverse kinematic mapping which maps the desired Cartesian coordinates to the individual joint angles. The individual fuzzy controller for each joint will generate the required control signal to a DC motor to move the associated link to the new position. The proposed hierarchical fuzzy controller will be compared to a conventional PD controller.