Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Modular Industrial Robots by Utilizing High Level CAD Templates

This paper presents a multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) framework for automated design of a modular industrial robot. The developed design framework seamlessly integrates high level computer aided design (CAD) templates (HLCt) and physics based high fidelity models for automated geometry manipulation, dynamic simulation, and structural strength analysis. In the developed framework, methods such as surrogate models and multilevel optimization are employed in order to speed up the design optimization process. This work demonstrates how a parametric geometric model, based on the concept of HLCt, enables a multidisciplinary framework for multi-objective optimization of a modular industrial robot, which constitutes an example of a complex heterogeneous system.