Trajectory planning for a 6-axis robotic arm with particle swarm optimization algorithm

Robotic arms, which are favored for usage in both large- and small-scale industrial regions, run into issues with numerous limits between the starting and ending locations in the working space when attempting to complete a particular task. With the solution to one of these problems, trajectory planning, the robotic arm manipulator can move from the starting point to the target point vibration-free, without hitting obstacles, and by choosing the shortest way. In this study, a robotic arm with 6 degrees of freedom, which is in the Mechatronics Engineering laboratory of Isparta University of Applied Sciences and whose prototype was realized by Acrome company, was used. In the study, the trajectory planning of the robotic arm was carried out using the MATLAB program and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Trajectory planning is developed using the PSO algorithm to determine the position of the robot at each point as it moves from its starting point to its target. Thus, time optimization was achieved by choosing the shortest path between the two points. Trajectory planning in joint space is aimed to ensure that the position, speed, and acceleration between the starting and ending points are continuous by using the fifth-order polynomial. The instant values of the joint variables used to determine the points followed by the manipulator were obtained by forward kinematics through the MATLAB program. Using forward kinematics, the position information of the manipulator was obtained by providing a transition from joint space to Cartesian space.