Procedures for modelling multibody systems are well known and many formulations and tools are available for these types of systems. For several years, emphasis has been placed on the modelling of electromechanical systems, particularly multibody systems, such as robots, which are driven by electrical actuators. In this paper, three different unified modelling strategies, based on the virtual work principle, linear graph and bond graph theories, are presented and compared. Three examples, including non-academic applications, illustrate this comparison.
Sass, L., McPhee, J., Schmitke, C., Fisette, P., & Grenier, D. (2004). A comparison of different methods for modelling electromechanical multibody systems. Multibody System Dynamics, 12(3), 209-250. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MUBO.0000049196.78726.da (Original work published 2004)