The design of the robotic arm's trajectory is based on inverse kinematics problem solving, with additional refinements of certain criteria. One common design issue is the trajectory optimization of the robotic arm. Due to the difficulty of the work in the past, many of the suggested ways only resulted in a marginal improvement. This paper introduces two approaches to solve the problem of achieving robotic arm trajectory control while maintaining the minimum reachability time. These two approaches are based on rule-based optimization and a genetic algorithm. The way we addressed the problem here is based on the robot’s forward and inverse kinematics and takes into account the minimization of operating time throughout the operation cycle. The proposed techniques were validated, and all recommended criteria were compared on the trajectory optimization of the KUKA KR 4 R600 six-degree-of-freedom robot. As a conclusion, the genetic based algorithm behaves better than the rule-based one in terms of achieving a minimal trip time. We found that solutions generated by the Genetic based algorithm are approximately 3 times faster than the other solutions generated by the rule-based algorithm to the same paths. We argue that as the rule-based algorithm produces its solutions after discovering all the problem’s searching space which is time consuming, and it is not the case as per the genetic based algorithm.

The trajectory planning for robotic arms is a significant area of research, given its role in facilitating seamless trajectory execution and enhancing movement efficiency and accuracy. This paper focuses on the development of path planning algorithms for a robotic arm with six degrees of freedom. Specifically, three alternative approaches are explored: polynomial (cubic and quantic), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), and Genetic Algorithm (GA). The comparison of outcomes between different methods revealed that polynomial methods were found to be more straightforward to implement, albeit constrained by the intricacy of the pathway. Upon examining the functioning of the WOA, it has been shown that it is well suited for all types of pathways, regardless of their level of complexity. In addition, when GA is applied, it has been shown less smoothness than WOA but also less complexity. In brief, WOA is deemed superior in the path planning process since it is more thorough in determining the optimal path due to the conical spiral path technique it employs in offering optimized path planning. in comparison to GA, WOA is better in implementation speed and accuracy. However, GA is smoother in start and finish path.