Since 70s when the NASA started to research on Flexible Robots, the flexible manipulators have been around the robotics community.
Although, Flexible manipulators have found applications only in space applications, like the Canadarm and the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, or SSRMS.
Industrial applications for these kind of manipulators haven´t arise yet. The vibration control and accuracy of these kind of robots are the first obstacle, even so, thats the main objective in Engineering to "Solve complex problems". These presentation will show the advances in the development of a 6DOF Flexible Manipulator with the purpose of using it in industrial applications.
As part of this development, novel control techniques like the GPI controller and Fractional Controllers have taken importance, due to the high performance needed in the vibration control. A look to these control techniques will also take part of these presentation, due to their possible application to motion control as well.