A prototype three-link robot manipulator was built to determine the required components for a flexible prototyping environment for electro-mechanical systems in general, and for robot manipulators in particular. A local linear PD feedback law was used for controlling the robot for positioning and trajectory tracking. A graphical user interface was implemented for controlling and simulating the robot. This robot is intended to be an educational tool; therefore it was designed to be easy to install and manipulate. The design process of this robot helped us determine the necessary components for building a prototyping environment for electro-mechanical systems.
The design basis for building a prototyping environment for robot manipulators were investigated and the design options were explained. A simple implementation of a central interface was done to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed environment. Also the theoretical basis for an optimal design subsystem was investigated and illustrated by several examples.