9409816 Stokes A methodology is developed for improving the performance of high- speed serial manipulators by integrating their mechanical and control system design. Using this technique, the robustness and accuracy of high-performance manipulators is increased and the required control authority is decreased. The method incorporates a combination of mechanical and control design of spatial, rigid- link manipulators having joint and transmission compliances such as used in automated assembly of mechanical and electrical systems. An assessment of improvement is made by evaluating a performance criterion which measures the system performance over the entire workspace of the manipulators. ***
