Case Study: Ricoh Company, Ltd. achieves rapid, accurate robot actuator modeling and prototype-free verification with MathWorks Simscape Multibody

Ricoh Develops a Detailed Model for Robot Actuator Design

Ricoh Company, Ltd. needed to develop and verify control systems for a complex double-motor actuator used in its robots without building prototypes. Conventional simulation approaches struggled to reproduce the multibody dynamics and nonlinear behavior of multiple motors and multi-stage gears, so Ricoh turned to MathWorks and its Simscape Multibody product (Model-Based Design) to address the challenge.

Using MathWorks’ Simscape Multibody, Ricoh imported 3D CAD data and built an intuitive, detailed actuator model in about half a day, virtually reproducing the hardware’s nonlinear characteristics and animating robot behavior for validation. The result enabled control system development and verification without prototypes, with measurable impacts including a half-day model build time, accurate simulation of nonlinearities, and effective 3D animation for model review.

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kento Hosaka

Ricoh Company, Ltd.