This text provides a first-level understanding of the structure, mobility, and analysis of serial manipulators. A serial manipulator is an unclosed or open movable polygon consisting of a series of links and joints. One end is fixed to ground, and attached to the open end is a hand or end effector that can move freely in space.
The structure of a serial manipulator is established by labeling the skeletal form (the sequence of joints and links) with appropriate twist angles and perpendicular distances that define the relative positions of sequences of pairs of skew lines. In this way the geometry of the manipulator is defined, and subsequently it is possible to apply various coordinate transformations for points located on the links. Such transformations readily provide a so-called forward analysis, that is, they can be used to provide the position of some point on the end effector together with the orientation of the end effector measured relative to a coordinate system fixed to ground for a specified set of joint variables.
A robot manipulator is a movable chain of links interconnected by joints. One end is fixed to the ground, and a hand or end effector that can move freely in space is attached at the other end. This book begins with an introduction to the subject of robot manipulators. Next, it describes in detail a forward and reverse analysis for serial robot arms. Most of the text focuses on closed form solution techniques applied to a broad range of manipulator geometries, from typical industrial robot designs (relatively simple geometries) to the most complicated case of seven general links serially connected by six revolute joints. A unique feature is its detailed analysis of 6R-P and 7R mechanisms. Case studies show how the techniques described in the book are used in real engineering applications. The book will be useful to both graduate students and engineers working in the field of robotics.