PRJ-02 · Control Systems

Real-Time Control of a 2-DOF Serial Robot Arm

Real-time robot arm control with live PID tuning through a MATLAB App + Simulink interface, validated with OptiTrack motion-capture cameras.

PERIOD
January 2024 — May 2024
CATEGORY
Control Systems
STACK
  • MATLAB App
  • Simulink
  • PID
  • Arduino
  • OptiTrack
  • Encoder

As the term project of my Real-Time Control course, I developed a control system that positions the end-effector of a 2-degree-of-freedom serial robot arm with high precision.

Highlights

  • PID control parameters can be tuned dynamically at runtime through a MATLAB App + Simulink interface.
  • Encoder data was acquired in real time via Arduino.
  • End-effector movements were validated with OptiTrack motion-capture cameras, achieving high tracking accuracy.

Why it matters

Closing the loop between model-based design (Simulink) and real hardware — making sure a controller tuned in simulation behaves as expected on real motors — is one of the most critical skills in industrial robotics. This project builds exactly that bridge.