Design and control of three link robot arm by parallel processors

Control of a three link arm using parallel processors, employing a separate processor for each joint, allows the code for controlling individual joints to be simple and transportable to use with other joints. Each joint has its own processor which receives position data from a central processor and calculates its own error signal to provide movement commands. The central processor is used to communicate data to and from the joints and the parallel processors. Additional joints may be added or removed without changing the code controlling the other joints. Only minor changes in the central processor's code regarding the communication between processors has to be made. The speed of calculating the inputs for each arm is not decreased by the addition of links. The three link arm will still function, in a limited capacity, if damage or failure were to occur in a component of one of the joints.