An Easy and Efficient Method for Flexible Robots Modeling and Simulation

In this paper a very easy, numerically stable and computationally efficient method is presented, which allows to model and simulate a flexible robot with high precision, also under the hypothesis of large link deformations and of time-varying geometrical and physical parameters of the robot and of the end-effector. This methodology uses the same approach of the rigid robots modeling, after suitably and fictitiously subdividing each link of the robot into sublinks, rigid to the aim of the calculus of the inertia matrix and flexible to the aim of the calculus of the elastic matrix. The static and dynamic precision of the method is proved with interesting theorems. Finally, the method is used to model, control and simulate a crane with three flexible links and a varying length cable carrying a body with a variable mass.