Development of a flexible link setup for an advanced linear control theory course

This paper discusses the development of a lab-scale test setup for a hands-on advanced linear control theory course. It explains the incentives for developing such a setup with a flexible link, which replicates the typical dynamics of flexible structures. It starts with a detailed description of a first prototype and presents preliminary results of (i) frequency-domain identification techniques to obtain a linear model and (ii)
$\mathscr{H}_{\infty}$
loop shaping to obtain robust controllers for simultaneous position tracking and vibration suppression. Simulation results and experimental data show great resemblance, and their comparison yields clear leads to further improvements that are required before widely deploying the setups in the course it is intended for. Future work includes the application of feedforward control design and iterative learning control.