This book introduces an unified function approximation approach to the control of uncertain robot manipulators containing general uncertainties. It works for free space tracking control as well as compliant motion control. It is applicable to the rigid robot and the flexible joint robot. Even with actuator dynamics, the unified approach is still feasible. All these features make the book stand out from other existing publications.

The robotic mechanism and its controller make a complete system. As the robotic mechanism is reconfigured, the control system has to be adapted accordingly. The need for the reconfiguration usually arises from the changing functional requirements. This book will focus on the adaptive control of robotic manipulators to address the changed conditions. The aim of the book is to summarise and introduce the state-of-the-art technologies in the field of adaptive control of robotic manipulators in order to improve the methodologies on the adaptive control of robotic manipulators. Advances made in the past decades are described in the book, including adaptive control theories and design, and application of adaptive control to robotic manipulators.

This monograph addresses problems of: • nonlinear control, estimation and filtering for robotic manipulators (multi-degree-of freedom rigid-link robots, flexible-link robots, underactuated, redundant and cooperating manipulators and closed-chain robotic mechanisms); and• nonlinear control, estimation and filtering for autonomous robotic vehicles operating on the ground, in the air, and on and under water, independently and in cooperating groups. The book is a thorough treatment of the entire range of applications of robotic manipulators and autonomous vehicles. The nonlinear control and estimation methods it develops can be used generically, being suitable for a wide range of robotic systems. Such methods can improve robustness, precision and fault-tolerance in robotic manipulators and vehicles at the same time as enabling the reliable functioning of these systems under variable conditions, model uncertainty and external perturbations.

The interest in robotics has remarkably augmented over recent years. Novel solutions for complex and very diverse application fields (exploration/intervention in severe environments, assistive, social, personal services, emergency rescue operations, transportation, entertainment, unmanned aerial vehicles, medical, etc.), has been anticipated by means of a large progress in this area of robotics. Moreover, the amalgamation of original ideas and related innovations, the search for new potential applications and the use of state of the art supporting technologies permit to foresee an important step forward and a significant socio-economic impact of advanced robot technology in the forthcoming years. In response to the technical challenges in the development of these sophisticated machines, a significant research and development effort has yet to be undertaken. It concerns embedded technologies (for power sources, actuators, sensors, information systems), new design methods, adapted control techniques for highly redundant systems, as well as operational and decisional autonomy and human/robot co-existence. This book contains the proceedings of the ROBOT 2013: FIRST IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE and it can be said that included both state of the art and more practical presentations dealing with implementation problems, support technologies and future applications. A growing interest in Assistive Robotics, Agricultural Robotics, Field Robotics, Grasping and Dexterous Manipulation, Humanoid Robots, Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Marine Robotics, has been demonstrated by the very relevant number of contributions. Moreover, ROBOT2013 incorporates a special session on Legal and Ethical Aspects in Robotics that is becoming a topic of key relevance. This Conference will be held in Madrid (28-29 November 2013), organised by the Sociedad Española para la Investigación y Desarrollo en Robótica (SEIDROB) and by the Centre for Automation and Robotics - CAR (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)), along with the co-operation of Grupo Temático de Robótica CEA-GTRob, Sociedade Portuguesa de Robotica (SPR), and Asociación Española de Promoción de la Investigación en Agentes Físicos (RedAF).

This book is an essential guide to nonlinear dynamics and vibration control, detailing both the theory and the practical industrial applications within all aspects of engineering. Demonstrating how to improve efficiency through reducing unwanted vibration, it will aid both students and engineers in practically and safely improving flexible structures through control methods. Increasing demand for light-weight robotic systems and space applications has actuated the design and construction of more flexible structures. These flexible structures, involving numerous dynamic systems, experience unwanted vibrations, impacting accuracy, operating speed, safety and, importantly, efficiency. This book aids engineers in assuaging this issue through vibration control methods, including nonlinear dynamics. It covers topics such as dynamic modeling of nonlinear system, nonlinear oscillators, and modal analyses of multiple-mode system. It also looks at vibration control methods including linear control, nonlinear control, intelligent control, and command smoothers. These control methods are effective and reliable methods to counteract unwanted vibrations. The book is practically minded, using industrial applications throughout, such as bridge cranes, tower cranes, aerial cranes and liquid sloshing. It also discusses cable-suspension structures, light-weight links, and fluid motions which exhibit flexible-structure dynamics. The book will be of interest to students and engineers alike, in the field of mechatronics, mechanical systems and signal processing, nonlinear dynamics, vibration, and control engineering.

Various modelling and control of two-link flexible manipulators are presented in this book. The lumped parameter modelling method and the assumed modes method modelling are comprehensively reviewed. The book also reviews the trajectory tracking problem and tip trajectory tracking problem along with the suppression of tip deflection of the links. An exponential time varying signal and a chaotic signal are considered as the desired trajectories. The identical/ non-identical slave manipulator is synchronised with the controlled master manipulator so that the slave manipulator indirectly follows the desired manipulator.