The Robotics Toolbox is MATLAB Toolbox software that supports research and

teaching into arm-type and mobile robotics. [1][2] This is free software but requires
the proprietary MATLAB environment in order to execute. A subset of functions have
been ported to GNU Octave. The Toolbox forms the basis of the exercises in the
textbooks. [3][4]

The Toolbox provides functions for manipulating and converting between datatypes
such as: vectors;homogeneous transformations; roll-pitch-yaw and Euler angles and
unit-quaternions which are necessary to represent 3-dimensional position and
orientation. The Toolbox is useful for the study and simulation of:

Classical arm-type robotics: kinematics, dynamics, and trajectory generation. The

Toolbox uses a very general method of representing the kinematics and dynamics of
serial-link manipulators. These parameters are encapsulated in MATLAB objects,
robot objects can be created by the user for any serial-link manipulator and a
number of examples are provided for well known robots such as the Puma 560 and
the Stanford arm amongst others. It can operate with symbolic values as well as
numeric.
Ground robots and includes: standard path planning algorithms (bug, distance
transform, D*, PRM), kinodynamic planning (RRT), localization (EKF, particle filter),
map building (EKF) and simultaneous localization and mapping (EKF), and a
Simulink model a of non-holonomic vehicle.
Flying quadrotor robots, and includes a detailed Simulink model.

MATLAB is a commercial software by Math Works Inc., USA. It has large number of
mathematical operators and commands that can perform wide range of analysis,
e.g. matrix operations. algebraic and differential equation solutions, optimisations,
control experiments, etc.
Initialise MATLAB

It is expected that MATLAB is installed in a computer where the user will be

performing computations. If an icon is available on the Desktop the user has to
double-click on it using the left button of the mouse connected to the computer.
Alternatively, the user can left-lick. in sequence, on the button/menus that popup:
Start -> All Programs -> Matlab-> MATLAB.
How to Use MATLAB

When MATLAB software starts. the MATLAB screen appears with ">>" prompt. This
window is called MATLAB command window. Some basic operations are shown here.
For detailed description, one may refer to the books available on MATLAB, e.g.
Pratap (2002), and use the Demos and Help menu of the software.