Design of a Fast Robotic Total Station Through Ad Hoc Virtual Experiments and Its Digital Twin

The dynamic performances of an innovative robotic total station (RTS) are assessed while tracking a moving target; also, the results of these performance evaluations are exploited to design its control system. The proposed methodology is novel and uses ad hoc virtual experiments implemented on the digital twin of the studied RTS. This methodology is general and is also applicable for the design of other mechatronic systems. The proposed ad hoc virtual experiments constitute a benchmark for assessing the tracking performances of pointing systems. The application of this methodology to the studied RTS will help complete the RTS’s design by determining the most suitable actuators and the control system constants necessary to obtain the assigned dynamic performances. A 3D-printed prototype of the designed RTS was built and is shown in this paper.