Development of a control system for a pair of robotic platforms

This thesis is a discussion of the development of a control system for a pair of three-degree-of-freedom robotic platforms. The platform system and its computer support are described at both the hardware and the software levels, including a section detailing diagnostics which can be run in the event of specific system errors. The design and implementation of a PID controller for the platforms based on experimentally-determined system dynamics is described. Finally, the tracking performance of each joint controller is examined. A path planner is used to map a smooth trajectory between starting and destination positions, and the controller's tracking ability is observed along this path.