Software on Matthew Bonanni

Kinematic Modeling of Constrained Robot Arms

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

This software models and optimizes the accessible volume, or “gamut,” of robotic arms when constrained by a glovebox.

I created this tool for our capstone design project involving a glovebox-optimized robotic forearm for NASA’s Valkyrie R5 robot. Section 6 of the project’s final report contains details on the software’s design and implementation.

Robotic arms are modeled using Denavit-Hartenberg parameters, and represented in MATLAB as rigid body trees. This approach enables computation of transformation matrices between joints at specified angles. The software generates point clouds by iterating through joint position combinations and filtering for collision-free endpoints. Convex hull computation permits design comparisons.

Dynamic Model of a Gantry System

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Full Paper

Overview

Implemented in Simulink, this software models the 2 degree of freedom gantry system shown below. Current is applied to a motor which actuates the cart, and the resulting displacements of the cart and pendulum are measured.

Comparison with experimental data demonstrated this model’s accuracy, resulting in a mean cart position error of 0.89cm and pendulum angle error of 0.0217 rad, for a driving frequency of π Hz.

Pareto Optimization Software

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

GitHub Repo

Overview

I created software for addressing Pareto optimization challenges using MATLAB, complete with a sample mathematical model.

Pareto optimization problems are those in which there is more than one objective for optimization. In complex scenarios, enhancing one objective often requires compromise on others, creating an optimal surface rather than a single solution point. Any point on the surface is an optimal solution to the problem. When relative weights are established, each point receives a weighted score to identify the singular optimal solution.

Projectile Motion Calculator

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Implemented in MATLAB, this software computes projectile motion trajectories using both viscous and Newtonian models of air resistance. Equations of motion are solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta method.

The project originated from coursework for PHYS 3601: Classical Mechanics and evolved to include a user-friendly graphic interface and the ability to process many sets of input parameters through .csv file import.

GitHub Repo