Teaching Manipulator Kinematics by Painting With Light

Author(s):  
Michael Shomin ◽  
Jonathan Fiene

In this paper, we examine the creation and benefits of a new teaching platform to introduce and reinforce the key concepts of robotic manipulators in an introductory-level robotics course. This system combines a vintage PUMA 260 six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm with modern control circuitry and a Matlab API. The API operates as a servo controller for the robot, thereby allowing students to apply their knowledge of inverse kinematics to a real manipulator arm. To further motivate the exploration of manipulators, we have developed an open-ended project where students engage in the art of three-dimensional light painting. To facilitate this activity, a tricolor LED has been affixed to the end-effector of the robot. With a digital SLR camera, we take a long-exposure photograph as the robot is driven through a trajectory, effectively painting a picture with the end effector. We have also developed a method to quickly assemble pseudo-long-exposure photographs and videos using an inexpensive video camera. We believe this novel setup and project are an effective way to engage and motivate students to learn the underlying math and dynamics of robotic manipulators.

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Leylavi Shoushtari ◽  
Stefano Mazzoleni ◽  
Paolo Dario

Purpose This paper aims to propose an innovative kinematic control algorithm for redundant robotic manipulators. The algorithm takes advantage of a bio-inspired approach. Design/methodology/approach A simplified two-degree-of-freedom model is presented to handle kinematic redundancy in the x-y plane; an extension to three-dimensional tracking tasks is presented as well. A set of sample trajectories was used to evaluate the performances of the proposed algorithm. Findings The results from the simulations confirm the continuity and accuracy of generated joint profiles for given end-effector trajectories as well as algorithm robustness, singularity and self-collision avoidance. Originality/value This paper shows how to control a redundant robotic arm by applying human upper arm-inspired concept of inter-joint dependency.


Author(s):  
Javier Rolda´n Mckinley ◽  
Carl Crane ◽  
David B. Dooner

This paper introduces a reconfigurable closed-loop spatial mechanism that can be applied to repetitive motion tasks. The concept is to incorporate five pairs of non-circular gears into a six degree-of–freedom closed-loop spatial chain. The gear pairs are designed based on given mechanism parameters and a user defined motion specification of a coupler link of the mechanism. It is shown in the paper that planar gear pairs can be used if the spatial closed-loop chain is comprised of six pairs of parallel joint axes, i.e. the first joint axis is parallel to the second, the third is parallel to the fourth, ..., and the eleventh is parallel to the twelfth. This paper presents the synthesis of the gear pairs that satisfy a specified three-dimensional position and orientation need. Numerical approximations were used in the synthesis the non-circular gear pairs by introducing an auxiliary monotonic parameter associated to each end-effector position to parameterize the motion needs. The findings are supported by a computer animation. No previous known literature incorporates planar non-circular gears to fulfill spatial motion generation needs.


Robotica ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Eldridge ◽  
K. Gruben ◽  
D. LaRose ◽  
J. Funda ◽  
S. Gomory ◽  
...  

SummaryWe have designed a robotic arm based on a double parallel four bar linkage to act as an assistant in minimally invasive surgical procedures. The remote center of motion (RCM) geometry of the robot arm kinematically constraints the robot motion such that minimal translation of an instrument held by the robot takes place at the entry portal into the patientApos;s body. In addition to the two rotational degrees of freedom comprising the RCM arm, distal translation and rotation are provided to manoeuver the instrument within the patient's body about an axis coincident with the RCM. An XYZ translation stage located proximal to the RCM arm provides positioning capability to establish the RCM location relative to the patients anatomy. An electronics set capable of controlling the system, as well as performing a series of safety checks to verify correct system operation, has also been designed and constructed. The robot is capable of precise positional motion. Repeatability in the ±10 micron range is demonstrated. The complete robotic system consists of the robot hardware and an IBM PC-AT based servo controller connected via a custom shared memory link to a host IBM PS/2. For laparoscopic applications, the PS/2 includes an image capture board to capture and process video camera images. A camera rotation stage has also been designed for this application. We have successfully demonstrated this system as an assistant in a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Further applications for this system involving active tissue manipulation are under development.


Author(s):  
D. A. Saravanos ◽  
J. S. Lamancusa ◽  
H. J. Sommer

Abstract The end effector deflections of robotic manipulators may be minimized by optimizing the geometric shape and the dimensions of their links. A multiple posture static performance criterion for the prediction of the shape optimum design is presented. An efficient optimization algorithm is developed for the solution of the problem using finite element modeling to predict the compliance of the robotic arm. The method is applied to an existing robotic arm, and the results demonstrate that simple alterations to the dimensions and the shape of the links can greatly improve, not only the stiffness, but also the stiffness/mass ratio and consequently the vibrational response of the manipulator structure.


2016 ◽  
Vol 836 ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adlina Taufik Syamlan ◽  
Bambang Pramujati ◽  
Hendro Nurhadi

Robotics has lots of use in the industrial world and has lots of development since the industrial revolution, due to its qualities of high precision and accuracy. This paper is designed to display the qualities in a form of a writing robot. The aim of this study is to construct the system based on data gathered and to develop the control system based on the model. There are four aspects studied for this project, namely image processing, character recognition, image properties extraction and inverse kinematics. This paper served as discussion in modelling the robotic arm used for writing robot and generating theta for end effector position. Training data are generated through meshgrid, which is the fed through anfis.


1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 797 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Woods

A stereoscopic video system for use with Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) has been developed by Curtin University's Centre for Marine Science and Technology. The system provides ROV operators with a fully three-dimensional (stereoscopic) view of the ROVs surroundings. This increased perception of depth offers several advantages to both the piloting of ROVs and also to the operation of an ROV manipulator arm.The stereoscopic video system consists of an underwater stereoscopic video camera which fits on the ROV and a stereoscopic display which is installed in the ship-based ROV control room. The system was developed in close cooperation with Woodside Offshore Petroleum which has used the system on their Triton ROV. Three ROVs are currently operated at Woodside's oil fields on Western Australia's North West Shelf.Field use of the system on the Triton ROV has revealed many advantages of stereoscopic video. One of the areas where advantages are particularly evident is in the operation of the manipulator arm. Operators have reported that it is perceptually easier to perform manipulator tasks. This is because the spatial relationship of objects can be immediately identified, making object placement and alignment easier. The system also provides a better understanding of the work site and a perceived improvement in image quality and therefore improved visibility.


Author(s):  
Deanne C. Kemeny ◽  
Raymond J. Cipra

Discretely-actuated manipulators are defined in this paper as serial planar chains of many links and are an alternative to traditional robotic manipulators, where continuously variable actuators are replaced with discrete, or digital actuators. Benefits include reduced weight and complexity, and predictable manipulation at lower cost. Challenges to using digital manipulators are the discrete end-effector positions which make the inverse kinematics problem difficult to solve. Furthermore, for a specific application position in the manipulator workspace, there may not be an actual end-effector position. This research has relaxed the inverse kinematics problem around this challenge making each application position an element of a grid in which the end effector must reach. There may be many possible end-effector positions that would reach the element goal, the solution uses the first one that is found. The inverse kinematics solution assumes the assembly configuration of the digital manipulator is already solved specifically for the application grid. The Jacobian function, normally used to solve joint velocities, can be used to identify the exact shift vectors that are used for the inverse kinematics. Three methods to solve this problem are discussed and the third method was implemented as a four-part solution that is a directed and manipulated search for the inverse kinematics solution where all four solutions may be needed. A discussion of forward kinematics and the Jacobian function in relation to digital manipulators is also presented.


Robotica ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Q. Gan ◽  
Eimei Oyama ◽  
Eric M. Rosales ◽  
Huosheng Hu

For robotic manipulators that are redundant or with high degrees of freedom (dof), an analytical solution to the inverse kinematics is very difficult or impossible. Pioneer 2 robotic arm (P2Arm) is a recently developed and widely used 5-dof manipulator. There is no effective solution to its inverse kinematics to date. This paper presents a first complete analytical solution to the inverse kinematics of the P2Arm, which makes it possible to control the arm to any reachable position in an unstructured environment. The strategies developed in this paper could also be useful for solving the inverse kinematics problem of other types of robotic arms.


Author(s):  
Akhmad Fahruzi ◽  
Bimo Satyo Agomo ◽  
Yulianto Agung Prabowo

Nowadays robotic arm is widely used in various industries, especially those engaged in manufacturing. Robotic arms are usually used to perform jobs such as picking up and moving goods from their place of origin to the location desired by the operator. In this study, a 3d 4 DOF (Degree of Freedom) robotic arm. The prototype was made to move goods with random coordinates to places or boxes whose coordinates were determined in advance. The robot can know the coordinates of the object to be taken or moved. The arm robot prototype design is completed with a camera connected to a computer, where the camera is installed statically (fixed position) above the robot's work area. The camera functions like image processing to detect the object's position by taking the coordinates of the object. Then the object coordinates will be input into inverse kinematics that will produce an angle in every point of the servo arm so that the position of the end effector on the robot arm can be founded and reach the intended object. From the results of testing and analysis, it was found that the error in the webcam test to detect object coordinates was 2.58%, the error in the servo motion test was 12.68%, and the error in the inverse kinematics test was 7.85% on the x-axis, the error was 6.31% on the y-axis and an error of 12.77% on the z-axis. The reliability of the whole system is 66.66%.


Author(s):  
Tuna Balkan ◽  
M. Kemal Özgören ◽  
M. A. Sahir Arikan ◽  
H. Murat Baykurt

Abstract In this study, an inverse kinematic solution approach applicable to six degree-of-freedom industrial robotic manipulators is introduced. The approach is based on a previously introduced kinematic classification of industrial robotic manipulators by Balkan et al. (1999), and depending on the kinematic structure, either an analytical or a semi-analytical inverse kinematic solution is obtained. The semi-analytical method is named as the parametrized joint variable (PJV) method. Compact forward kinematic equations obtained by utilizing the properties of exponential rotation matrices. In the inverse kinematic solutions of the industrial robots surveyed in the previous study, most of the simplified compact equations can be solved analytically and the remaining few of them can be solved semi-analytically through a numerical solution of a single univariate equation. In these solutions, the singularities and the multiple configurations of the manipulators can be determined easily. By the method employed in this study, the kinematic and inverse kinematic analysis of any manipulator or designed-to-be manipulator can be performed and using the solutions obtained, the inverse kinematics can also be computerized by means of short and fast algorithms. As an example for the demonstration of the applicability of the presented method to manipulators with closed-chains, ABB IRB2000 industrial robot is selected which has a four-bar mechanism for the actuation of the third link, and its compact forward kinematic equations are given as well as the inverse kinematic solution.


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