Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: What are inverse kinematics?
From: michael.schorpp@canrem.com (Michael Schorpp)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!delmarva.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.uoregon.edu!news.bc.net!unixg.ubc.ca!vanbc.wimsey.com!fonorola!portnoy!canrem.com!michael.schorpp
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <60.17739.4884.0N1EE611@canrem.com>
References: <3uvvcj$duf@mujibur.inmind.com>
Date: Fri,  4 Aug 95 20:41:00 -0500
Organization: CRS Online  (Toronto, Ontario)
Lines: 28

Mike Frazier wrote

-> 1) Kinematics is the science of motion which studies motion without
-> regard to the forces which cause the motion. In other words, it
-> allows the study of all possible positions that an individual robot
-> mainpulator can get into.
->
-> 2) For every unique combination of joint positions, the tip of the
-> robot arm will have a given position in the Cartesian space of the
-> robot. The mechanics of the robot determine these positions.  The
-> equations which describe what this point will be for each set of
-> joint angles are called the kinematic solution for the robot.

I was wondering if anyone could point me towards any books,papers or any
other resources that deal with this type of applied math.

I'm in charge of a small 6 axis robot used for routing and the method
for programming is strictly moving the manipulator to the desired
position and recording that point. For some programming jobs it would be
easier if the program could be created in a PC then downloaded to the
robot. The major problem here is the math. I've looked at the program
files and they are all in joint coordinates, which for each point is a
set of six integers. What I need are the equations to go from x,y,z and
the tool angles tx,ty,tz to the 6 joint coordinates. I've played around
and have obtained equations to go from joint coordinates to xyz but the
reverse seems to be much harder.

Mike.
