Analysis and modeling of a pneumatic artificial muscle system

Abstract

Hysteresis is a common challenge in achieving precise position control of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs). Accurate modeling of this phenomenon is essential for the development of efficient PAM control systems. This study evaluates four mathematical models for modeling PAM dynamics: Nonlinear AutoRegressive with eXogenous inputs (NARX), BoxJenkins (BJ), Prandtl-Ishlinskii (PI), and second-order underdamped system and one zero (P2UZ). To assess the effectiveness of these models, experiments were conducted with reference input signals of varying amplitudes. The accuracy and goodness of fit of these models were evaluated based on root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination. Results show that the P2UZ model achieved the highest fitness (97.15%) and the lowest RMSE (1.80 mm), followed closely by the NARX model with 96.83% fitness and an RMSE of 1.90 mm. The PI and BJ models demonstrated lower performance, with the BJ model showing the lowest fitness (90.79%) and the highest RMSE (3.25 mm). These findings provide valuable insights for improving PAM control and PAM-based automation systems by highlighting the strengths and limitations of each model.