Modeling and Simulation Validation of a Lightweight Indigenous Six-Degrees-of-Freedom Robotic Manipulator (Dexter-6Pro)

Abstract

The growing demand for inexpensive, locally produced robotic manipulators in developing nations has necessitated the development of efficient modeling and control techniques for both industry and research. This paper presents the modeling and simulation of Dexter-6Pro, a 6-DOF lightweight robotic manipulator developed for such applications. The kinematics and dynamics models formulated using the Euler-Lagrange method, are verified in MATLAB and Simulink after being adapted from established research platforms, with adjustments to the Jacobian for dynamic computation. This study also presents the mechanical realization of Dexter-6Pro, a lightweight modular manipulator that is locally manufactured. A PD controller with feedforward torque compensation is used to validate the performance tracking. The precision and reliability of the symbolic model are analyzed with Simulink’s built-in blocks of kinematics and dynamics. The simulation results show precise trajectory tracking and reliable performance throughout the workspace of the manipulator. To promote further study and reproducibility, all of the created MATLAB and Simulink materials for this research are publicly shared. The framework proposed sets up the basis for real-time deployment and supports the construction of local robotic solutions.