Automatic Determination of the Denavit-Hartenberg Parameters for Forward Kinematics of All Serial Robots: Novel Kinematics Toolbox

Abstract

Traditionally, the determination of Denavit–Hartenberg (DH) parameters for serial robotic manipulators is a manual process that depends on manufacturer documentation or user-defined conventions, often leading to inefficiency and ambiguity. This study introduces a universal and systematic methodology for automatically deriving DH parameters directly from a robot’s zero configuration, using only the geometric relationships between consecutive joint axes. The approach was implemented in a MATLAB-based kinematics toolbox capable of computing both the classical and modified DH parameters. In addition to parameter extraction, the toolbox integrates workspace visualization, manipulability and dexterity analysis, and a novel slicing and alpha-shape algorithm for accurate workspace volume computation. Validation was conducted on multiple industrial robots by comparing the extracted parameters with the manufacturer data and the RoboDK models. Benchmark studies confirmed the accuracy of the volume estimation, yielding an absolute percentage error of less than 4%. While the current implementation relies on RoboDK models for verification and requires manual tuning of the alpha-shape parameter, the toolbox provides a reproducible and extensible framework for research, education, and robot design.