Dynamic Load Emulation in Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation of Robot Manipulators

A robotic hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform was designed to aid in the synthesis and analysis of robot manipulators and their controllers. The platform uses a load emulation mechanism to apply nonlinear and coupled dynamic loads to the joint hardware. Some experimental results from a 5-DOF industrial manipulator are provided, demonstrating how the platform can simulate the performance of a manipulator under normal and aggressive operating conditions.