Behavioral control of a robot arm

Abstract

This paper describes a novel trainable controller which extends the feedback-error paradigm of Kawato (1987), called an adaptive trajectory generator. The controller can be adapted so that a controlled system shows a behavior which is specified using heuristic rules. The training algorithm is simple and computationally inexpensive. Its effectiveness is demonstrated with the control of a simulated two-link robot arm to repeatedly throw and catch a ball.