Incredible applications of robotic manipulators especially in the industrial sector have drawn attention to substitute classical control techniques with more sophisticated intelligent approaches. This, consequently, has motivated robotics community to formulate a multi-disciplinary domain of 'robot control'. Highlighting the authors' contributions in this domain, this paper presents a systematic review of control strategies for multi-Degree Of Freedom (DOF) robotic manipulators. Trivial linear approach, i.e. Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control is briefly commented. Given the fact that a manipulator has a complex structure because of associated nonlinear dynamics and uncertain parameters, robust and nonlinear control techniques have been discussed in detail. These mainly include Computed Torque Control (CTC), Sliding Mode Control (SMC), Disturbance Observer Based Control (DOBC), Model Predictive Control (MPC), Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), H∞ control and Passivity Based Control (PBC). With a tabulated pros and cons of each of these techniques, it is expected that the survey will directly boost cutting-edge research on the subject topic by facilitating engineers, researchers and industrial-interns to realize control laws for sophisticated applications that demand accuracy, precision, repeatability, mass production and quality
