Construction and Path Generation Algorithm Design of a Four Degrees of Freedom Robot Arm

This paper reports the prototype development and path generation algorithm design of a four degrees of freedom (DoF) robot arm. The prototype is developed based on mathematical representation of the robot in the forms of forward and inverse kinematics which were obtained using Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) parameterization and rules. After the prototype is constructed, a path generation algorithm to guide the robot’s motion in its working space is developed using cubic polynomial trajectory approach. The performance of the developed robot prototype and the designed path generation algorithm were conducted to verify the robot’s ability and correctness in planning and executing some required rotation and translation movements of its joints. Both simulation and experimental results of the robot’s evaluation show the effectiveness of the constructed robot and developed path generation algorithm with a maximum error of 0.5 cm between each joint’s reference and actual values.