ABSTRACT
Automation of processes through the use of industrial robots is a critical component of the transition to Industry 4.0. This paper aims to present the design of a biomedical robotic manipulator and attempt to simulate its trajectory in a virtual environment. The task of collecting samples for COVID-19 serves as a case study for the manipulator. Using the CAD tool, a suitable design was developed to meet the task requirements. After determining the end effector waypoints, path planning was carried out. Following that, a cubic polynomial trajectory was implemented in the MATLAB environment to obtain the time-scheduled third-order trajectories of the robot joints. Finally, the trajectory optimization algorithm based on the concept of via-points was developed to reduce the energy consumed by the robot while performing the task. The results from the optimization algorithm showed the energy savings of approximately 28% by following the optimized trajectory. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.