Reference tracking versus path-following for a one-link flexible robot manipulator

Abstract This paper details two control approaches for a flexible manipulator system, where the non-minimum phase problem is treated. In the first approach, we use the motion planning technique. It searches for proper output trajectories with polynomial form, in order to cancel the effects of the unstable zeros. The second approach is called Path-Following with internal model control. Its primary objective is to steer a physical object to converge to a geometric path, and its secondary objective is to ensure that an object's motion along the path satisfies a given dynamic specification.