1

The City College of New York

Jizhong Xiao
Department of Electrical Engineering
City College of New York
jxiao@ccny.cuny.edu
Kinematics of Robot Manipulator
Introduction to ROBOTICS
2
The City College of New York
Outline
Review
Robot Manipulators
Robot Configuration
Robot Specification
Number of Axes, DOF
Precision, Repeatability

Kinematics
Preliminary
World frame, joint frame, end-effector frame
Rotation Matrix, composite rotation matrix
Homogeneous Matrix
Direct kinematics
Denavit-Hartenberg Representation
Examples
Inverse kinematics
3
The City College of New York
Review

What is a robot?

By general agreement a robot is:

A programmable machine that imitates the actions or
appearance of an intelligent creatureusually a human.

To qualify as a robot, a machine must be able to:

1) Sensing and perception: get information from its surroundings
2) Carry out different tasks: Locomotion or manipulation, do
something physicalsuch as move or manipulate objects
3) Re-programmable: can do different things
4) Function autonomously and/or interact with human beings

Why use robots?

4A: Automation, Augmentation, Assistance, Autonomous
4D: Dangerous, Dirty, Dull, Difficult

Perform 4A tasks in 4D environments

4
The City College of New York
Manipulators

Robot arms, industrial robot

Rigid bodies (links) connected

by joints

Joints: revolute or prismatic

Drive: electric or hydraulic

End-effector (tool) mounted on

a flange or plate secured to
the wrist joint of robot
5
The City College of New York
Manipulators
Robot Configuration:
Cartesian: PPP Cylindrical: RPP Spherical: RRP
SCARA: RRP
(Selective Compliance
Assembly Robot Arm)
Articulated: RRR
Hand coordinate:
n: normal vector; s: sliding vector;
a: approach vector, normal to the
tool mounting plate
6
The City College of New York
Manipulators

Motion Control Methods

Point to point control

a sequence of discrete points

spot welding, pick-and-place, loading & unloading

Continuous path control

follow a prescribed path, controlled-path motion

Spray painting, Arc welding, Gluing

7
The City College of New York
Manipulators

Robot Specifications

Number of Axes

Major axes, (1-3) => Position the wrist

Minor axes, (4-6) => Orient the tool

Redundant, (7-n) => reaching around

obstacles, avoiding undesirable
configuration

Degree of Freedom (DOF)

Workspace

Payload (load capacity)

Precision v.s. Repeatability

Which one is more important?
8
The City College of New York
What is Kinematics

Forward kinematics
Given joint variables
End-effector position and orientation, -Formula?
) , , , , , , (
6 6 6 6 6 6 n
q q q q q q q q
) , , , , , ( T A O z y x Y
x
y
z
9
The City College of New York
What is Kinematics

Inverse kinematics
End effector position
and orientation
Joint variables -Formula?
) , , , , , , (
6 6 6 6 6 6 n
q q q q q q q q
) , , , , , ( T A O z y x
x
y
z
10
The City College of New York
Example 1
6
x
6
y
6
x
6
y
) / ( cos
kinematics Inverse
sin
cos
kinematics Forward
6
6
6
6
l x
l y
l x

l
11
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Robot Reference Frames

World frame

Joint frame

Tool frame
x
y
z
x
z
y
W
R
P
T
12
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Coordinate Transformation

Reference coordinate frame

OXYZ

Body-attached frame Ouvw

w v u
k j i
w v u uvw
p p p P + +

z y x
k j i
z y x xyz
p p p P + +

x
y
z
P
u
v
w
O, O
Point represented in OXYZ:
z w y v x u
p p p p p p
T
z y x xyz
p p p P ] , , [
Point represented in Ouvw:
Two frames coincide ==>
13
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Mutually perpendicular

Unit vectors
Properties of orthonormal coordinate frame
6
6
6



j k
k i
j i

6
6
6
6 6
6 | |
6 | |
6 | |

k
j
i

6
6
Properties: Dot Product
Let and be arbitrary vectors in and be the
angle from to , then
6
R

cos y x y x
x y
x y
14
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Coordinate Transformation

Rotation only
w v u
k j i
w v u uvw
p p p P + +

x
y
z
P
z y x
k j i
z y x xyz
p p p P + +

uvw xyz
RP P
u
v
w
How to relate the coordinate in these two frames?
15
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Basic Rotation

, , and represent the projections of

onto OX, OY, OZ axes, respectively

Since
x
p
P
y
p
z
p
w v u x
p p p P p
w x v x u x x
k i j i i i i + +
w v u y
p p p P p
w y v y u y y
k j j j i j j + +
w v u z
p p p P p
w z v z u z z
k k j k i k k + +
w v u
k j i
w v u
p p p P + +
16
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Basic Rotation Matrix

Rotation about x-axis with

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

w
v
u
z
y
x
p
p
p
p
p
p
w z v z u z
w y v y u y
w x v x u x
k k j k i k
k j j j i j
k i j i i i
x
z
y
v
w
P
u

1
1
1
]
1

C S
S C x Rot
6
6
6 6 6
) , (

17
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Is it True?

Rotation about x axis with

cos sin
sin cos
cos sin 6
sin cos 6
6 6 6
w v z
w v y
u x
w
v
u
z
y
x
p p p
p p p
p p
p
p
p
p
p
p
+

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

x
z
y
v
w
P
u

18
The City College of New York
Basic Rotation Matrices

Rotation about x-axis with

Rotation about y-axis with

Rotation about z-axis with

uvw xyz
RP P
1
1
1
]
1

C S
S C x Rot
6
6
6 6 6
) , (

6
6 6 6
6
) , (
1
1
1
]
1

C S
S C
y Rot
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6
6
6
) , (

C S
S C
z Rot

19
The City College of New York
Preliminary

Basic Rotation Matrix

Obtain the coordinate of from the coordinate of

uvw xyz
RP P
1
1
1
]
1

w z v z u z
w y v y u y
w x v x u x
k k j k i k
k j j j i j
k i j i i i
R
xyz uvw
QP P
T
R R Q
6
6
6
I R R R R QR
T


uvw
P
xyz
P
<== 3X3 identity matrix
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

z
y
x
w
v
u
p
p
p
p
p
p
z w y w x w
z v y v x v
z u y u x u
k k j k i k
k j j j i j
k i j i i i
Dot products are commutative!
20
The City College of New York
Example 2

A point is attached to a rotating frame,

the frame rotates 60 degree about the OZ axis of
the reference frame. Find the coordinates of the
point relative to the reference frame after the
rotation.
) 6 , 6 , 6 (
uvw
a
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

6
666 . 6
666 . 6
6
6
6
6 6 6
6 6 . 6 666 . 6
6 666 . 6 6 . 6
) 66 , (
uvw xyz
a z Rot a
21
The City College of New York
Example 3

A point is the coordinate w.r.t. the

reference coordinate system, find the
corresponding point w.r.t. the rotated
OU-V-W coordinate system if it has been
rotated 60 degree about OZ axis.
) 6 , 6 , 6 (
xyz
a
uvw
a
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

6
666 . 6
666 . 6
6
6
6
6 6 6
6 6 . 6 666 . 6
6 666 . 6 6 . 6
) 66 , (
xyz
T
uvw
a z Rot a
22
The City College of New York
Composite Rotation Matrix

A sequence of finite rotations

matrix multiplications do not commute

rules:

if rotating coordinate O-U-V-W is rotating about

principal axis of OXYZ frame, then Pre-multiply
the previous (resultant) rotation matrix with an
appropriate basic rotation matrix

if rotating coordinate OUVW is rotating about its

own principal axes, then post-multiply the
previous (resultant) rotation matrix with an
appropriate basic rotation matrix
23
The City College of New York
Example 4

Find the rotation matrix for the following

operations:
Post-multiply if rotate about the OUVW axes
Pre-multiply if rotate about the OXYZ axes
...
axis OU about Rotation
axis OW about Rotation
axis OY about Rotation
Answer

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
]
1

S S S C C S C C S S C S
S C C C S
C S S S C C S C S S C C
C S
S C C S
S C
u Rot w Rot I y Rot R
6
6
6 6 6
6 6 6
6
6
C 6 S -
6 6 6
S 6 C
) , ( ) , ( ) , (
6
24
The City College of New York
Coordinate Transformations

position vector of P
in {B} is transformed
to position vector of P
in {A}

description of {B} as
seen from an observer
in {A}
Rotation of {B} with respect to {A}
Translation of the origin of {B} with respect to origin of {A}
25
The City College of New York
Coordinate Transformations

Two Special Cases

1. Translation only

Axes of {B} and {A} are

parallel
2. Rotation only

Origins of {B} and {A}

are coincident
6
B
A
R
' o A P B
B
A P A
r r R r +
6
'

o A
r
26
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Representation

Coordinate transformation from {B} to {A}

Homogeneous transformation matrix

' o A P B
B
A P A
r r R r +
1
]
1

1
]
1

1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6
' P B o A
B
A P A
r r R r
1
]
1

1
]
1

6 6
6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6
'
P R
r R
T
o A
B
A
B
A
Position
vector
Rotation
matrix
Scaling
27
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Transformation

Special cases
1. Translation
2. Rotation
1
]
1

6 6
6
6 6
6 6 B
A
B
A
R
T
1
]
1

6 6
6 6
'
6 6
o A
B
A
r I
T
28
The City College of New York
Example 5

Translation along Z-axis with h:

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
) , (
h
h z Trans
1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6
h p
p
p
p
p
p
h z
y
x
w
v
u
w
v
u
x
y
z
P
u
v
w
O, O
h
x
y
z
P
u
v
w
O, O
29
The City College of New York
Example 6

Rotation about the X-axis by

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6
6 6
6 6 6 6
) , (

C S
S C
x Rot
x
z
y
v
w
P
u
1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6 6
6 6
6 6
6 6 6 6
6
w
v
u
p
p
p
C S
S C
z
y
x


30
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Transformation

Composite Homogeneous Transformation

Matrix

Rules:

Transformation (rotation/translation) w.r.t

(X,Y,Z) (OLD FRAME), using pre-
multiplication

Transformation (rotation/translation) w.r.t

(U,V,W) (NEW FRAME), using post-
multiplication
31
The City College of New York
Example 7

Find the homogeneous transformation matrix

(T) for the following operations:
:
axis OZ about of Rotation
axis OZ along d of n Translatio
axis OX along a of n Translatio
axis OX about Rotation
Answer

6 6 , , , ,
I T T T T T
x a x d z z
1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6
6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6
6 6



C S
S C
a
d
C S
S C
32
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Representation

A frame in space (Geometric

Interpretation)
x
y
z
) , , (
z y x
p p p P
1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
z z z z
y y y y
x x x x
p a s n
p a s n
p a s n
F
n
s
a
1
]
1

6 6
6 6 6 6
P R
F
Principal axis n w.r.t. the reference coordinate system
(X)
(y)
(z)
33
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Transformation

Translation
y
z
n
s
a
n
s
a
1
1
1
1
]
1

+
+
+

1
1
1
1
]
1

1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6
z z z z z
y y y y y
x x x x x
z z z z
y y y y
x x x x
z
y
x
new
d p a s n
d p a s n
d p a s n
p a s n
p a s n
p a s n
d
d
d
F
old z y x new
F d d d Trans F ) , , (
34
The City College of New York
Homogeneous Transformation
6
6
6
6
6
6
A A A
Composite Homogeneous Transformation Matrix
6
x
6
z
6
y
6
6
A
6
6
A
6
x
6
z
6
y
6
x
6
z
6
y
?
i
i
A
6
Transformation matrix for
adjacent coordinate frames
Chain product of successive
coordinate transformation matrices
35
The City College of New York
Example 8

For the figure shown below, find the 4x4 homogeneous transformation
matrices and for i=1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
z z z z
y y y y
x x x x
p a s n
p a s n
p a s n
F
i
i
A
6
i
A
6
6
x
6
y
6
z
a
b
c
d
e
6
x
6
y
6
z
6
z
6
x
6
y
6
y
6
x
6
z
6
z
6
y
6
x
6
x
6
y
6
z
1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6
6
d a
c e
A
1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6
6
6
c e
b
A
1
1
1
1
]
1

6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6 6
6 6 6
6
6
d a
b
A
Can you find the answer by observation
based on the geometric interpretation of
homogeneous transformation matrix?
36
The City College of New York
Orientation Representation

Rotation matrix representation needs 9

elements to completely describe the
orientation of a rotating rigid body.

Any easy way?

1
]
1

6 6
6 6 6 6
P R
F
Euler Angles Representation
37
The City College of New York
Orientation Representation

Euler Angles Representation ( , , )

Many different types

Description of Euler angle representations

Euler Angle I Euler Angle II Roll-Pitch-Yaw
Sequence about OZ axis about OZ axis about OX axis
of about OU axis about OV axis about OY axis
Rotations about OW axis about OW axis about OZ axis

38
The City College of New York
x
y
z
u'
v'

v "
w"
w'=
=u"
v'"

u'"
w'"=
Euler Angle I, Animated
39
The City College of New York
Orientation Representation

Euler Angle I

,
_

,
_

,
_

6 6 6
6 cos sin
6 sin cos
,
cos sin 6
sin cos 6
6 6 6
,
6 6 6
6 cos sin
6 sin cos
' '
'

w
u z
R
R R
40
The City College of New York
Euler Angle I

,
_

cos sin cos sin sin
sin cos
cos cos cos
sin sin
cos sin cos
cos sin
sin sin
cos cos sin
sin cos
cos sin sin
cos cos
' ' ' w u z
R R R R
Resultant eulerian rotation matrix:
41
The City College of New York
Euler Angle II, Animated
x
y
z
u'
v'

=v"
w"
w'=
u"
v"'

u"'
w"'=
Note the opposite
(clockwise) sense of the
third rotation, .
42
The City College of New York
Orientation Representation

Matrix with Euler Angle II

,
_

cos
sin sin sin cos
sin sin
cos cos sin
cos cos
cos cos sin
sin cos
sin cos
cos cos sin
cos sin
cos cos cos
sin sin
Quiz: How to get this matrix ?
43
The City College of New York
Orientation Representation

Description of Roll Pitch Yaw

X
Y
Z

Quiz: How to get rotation matrix ?

44
The City College of New York
Thank you!
x
y
z
x
y
z
x
y
z
x
z
y
Homework 1 is posted on the web.
Due: Sept. 16, 2008, before class
Next class: kinematics II