A geometric investigation of reach

摘要

This book focuses on a problem of fundamental importance in the robotics field, that of manipulating a geometric linkage resembling a human arm (or leg) with the intent of reaching specific points in space. Many analytic and numerical solutions have been developed for robot manipulators. Recently, a number of researchers have begun to investigate methods for the generation of manipulator workspaces (sometimes called reach envelopes). This work offers two new solutions to the reach problem-an analytic solution for the special case of singly redundant chains of the type exemplified by human arms and legs, and a solution for chains of arbitrary length which makes use of workspace descriptions. An algorithm is also developed for the approximation of workspaces by polyhedra, leading to an examination of the problem of sweeping polyhedra through space. Contents: Introduction; Body Model; Joint Adjustment and Limitations; Overview of the Cartesian Positioning Problem; Analytic Positioning Methods; Numerical/Optimization Methods; Reach Hierarchy Methods; Workspace Generation; Sweeping Polyhedra; Conclusions; The Modelling System. James U. Korein received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a researcher at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY A Geometric Investigation of Reach is a 1984 ACM Distinguished Dissertation.