On model predictive path following and trajectory tracking for industrial robots

In this article the model predictive path following controller and the model predictive trajectory tracking controller are compared for a robotic manipulator. We consider both the Runge-Kutta and collocation based discretization. We show how path-following can stop at obstructions in a way trajectory tracking cannot. We give simulations for a two-link manipulator, and discuss the real-time viability of our implementations.