Teaching and Learning of Robot Kinematics Using RoboAnalyzer Software

Abstract

Robots are used at various places for different applications and hence the subjects related to robotics find their place in the courses of Mechanical and Electrical engineering disciplines. The concepts of robotics are typically difficult to understand from images and figures, thus several software to aid the learning of these concepts have been developed. RoboAnalyzer is one such software developed by the authors to perform kinematic and dynamic analyses of serial robots. It is an ongoing activity and in this paper, the modules of "Visualization of DH Parameters and Transformations", "3D CAD Model Importer" and "Inverse Kinematics" are explained and illustrated. RoboAnalyzer software can be downloaded for free from http://www.roboanalyzer.com and can be used almost instantly.