Transputer applications in robotics for dynamic modelling and path planning

Abstract The kinematic and dynamic modelling of robot manipulators are of such computational complexity that control schemes embodying on-line calculation of the robot model have previously been impossible at an economic cost in terms of computer hardware. However, the recent development of the transputer has transformed this situation, as shown in the paper. On-line schemes using transputers are shown to be feasible as solutions for two significant computational problems in manipulator control: computing the dynamic model, and computing a time-optimal path.