Performance evaluation of cuckoo search algorithm based FOPID controllers applied to a robotic manipulator with actuator

A robotic manipulator is a complex nonlinear, coupled and dynamic system. Therefore it is a challenge for the process engineers to design an effective controller for the operation of end-effector of this system. This paper presents Fractional Order Proportional-Integral-Derivative (FOPID) controller for a 2-link planar rigid robot manipulator with actuator for trajectory tracking task. The tuning of controller parameters is done using Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) techniques. The Integral Absolute Error (IAE) and Integral Absolute Change in Control Output (IACCO) having equal weights for both the links are chosen as performance indices for minimization. A comparative study is carried out between CSA-tuned FOPID (CSA-FOPID) and PSO-tuned FOPID (PSO-FOPID) controllers for trajectory tracking tasks. The robustness of the proposed controllers is tested for disturbance rejection, model uncertainties, and noise suppression. The numerical simulation results clearly investigate the superiority of CSA-FOPID controllers over PSO-FOPID controllers.