Development and implementation of a NURBS curve motion interpolator

This paper deals with the issues of development and implementation of a real-time NURBS interpolator for a six-axis robot. Using an open-architecture controller system as a testbed, a real-time NURBS curve interpolator was developed, implemented and tested. Sample runs were conducted with the resulting trajectories measured in real-time during robot motion. The resulting trajectories are analyzed, discussed and compared with those from a commonly used point-to-point approximation technique. The real-time NURBS curve interpolator's feasibility, advantages and related issues are also discussed.