Robot trajectory learning through practice

We present an algorithm that uses trajectory following errors to improve a feedforward command to a robot. This approach to robot learning is based on explicit modeling of the robot; and uses an inverse of the robot model as part of a learning operator which processes the trajectory errors. Results are presented from a successful implementation of this procedure on the MIT Serial Link Direct Drive Arm. The major point of this paper is that more accurate robot models improve trajectory learning performance, and learning algorithms do not reduce the need for good models in robot control.