Dynamic decoupling and load desensitization of direct-drive robots by current feedback

Direct-drive robots have excellent features including no backlash, small friction, and high mechanical stiffness. However, dynamic coupling among joints as well as nonlinear effects become more prominent than traditional robots with reducers. Another critical issue is that the robot becomes more sensitive to the change of load. In this paper, we develop a simple current feedback scheme for reducing the influence of dynamic coupling and load sensitivity on the direct-drive robots. The method is implemented on a 2 d.o.f. planar direct-drive robot. Then the validity of the method is demonstrated through experiments.