Design and Simulation of a 4-DOF Robotic Manipulator with Real-Time Control and Path Planning

Abstract

Robotic manipulators play a critical role in modern automation, enabling precise, complex, and repetitive tasks across industrial, agricultural, and service applications. This paper presents the design and simulation of a 4-DoF robotic manipulator using MATLAB and Simulink, integrating forward and inverse kinematics for accurate control of joint motions and end-effector positioning. To achieve autonomous and efficient navigation, classical and heuristic path planning algorithms—including Dijkstra, A*, and Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT)—are implemented and evaluated in terms of trajectory feasibility, computational efficiency, and adaptability to varying task conditions. The study further incorporates dynamic analysis of the manipulator by evaluating joint torques, forces, and inertia, providing realistic motion behaviour and validating system performance under physical constraints. A graphical user interface (GUI) developed with MATLAB App Designer enables real-time manipulation and visualization of the manipulator’s operations, allowing interactive control of joint positions, monitoring of kinematic parameters, and execution of path planning strategies. The integration of kinematics, dynamics, path planning, and GUI-based control demonstrates a comprehensive approach to robotic system development in a virtual environment, offering a flexible, low-cost, and scalable platform for research, education, and simulation-driven testing. The results highlight the potential of simulation frameworks to accelerate the design, analysis, and deployment of robotic manipulators in diverse automation scenarios.