Proposing and Validation of a New Four-Point Finite-Difference Formula With Manipulator Application

In this paper, a four-point one-step-ahead finite-difference formula is presented, which obtains higher computational precision in approximating the first-order derivative. Then, the formula is used for the discretization of the continuous-time Zhang neural network (CTZNN), and it can greatly overcome the limitation of the conventional formulas in CTZNN discretization. Based on this formula, a new-type discrete-time Zhang neural network (DTZNN) model is proposed and investigated for time-variant matrix pseudoinversion. Numerical experiments further validate the feasibility, effectiveness, and superiority of the proposed new-type DTZNN model for solving the time-variant matrix pseudoinversion. Moreover, the proposed new-type DTZNN model is applied to the control of a robot manipulator. Physical experiment performed on a four-link planar robot manipulator is presented to demonstrate physical realizability and effectiveness of the proposed new-type DTZNN model.