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Robotics
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Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019
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Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019

A special issue of Robotics (ISSN 2218-6581). This special issue belongs to the section "Intelligent Robots and Mechatronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 57110

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Di Gregorio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Department, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: kinematics; dynamics; mechanism and machine theory; parallel manipulators; robot mechanics; biomechanics; vehicle mechanics; robotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Kinematics and Robot Design (KaRD)” launched in 2018, had discrete success, and pushed me to transform this title into a yearly publication named the KaRD series. The KaRD series of open-source Special Issues, hosted by MDPI’s journal Robotics, is characterized by cheap publication costs (comparable to the registration fee of a small international congress), and wishes to provide a good opportunity for presenting research results that are immediately readable and usable by other researchers. It appears among a number of serial events (e.g., ARK, CK, ASME MR, etc.) devoted to robot and/or mechanism kinematics that serve a numerous scientific community.

Kinematics enters in many aspects of robot design. Type synthesis, dimensional synthesis, kinematic analysis, singularity analysis, workspace determination, performance measures, accuracy analysis, path planning, and obstacle avoidance are only some of these. In addition, it is central when building dynamic models for simulation purposes.

In addition, robotics is pervading many fields of social interest. For instance, health care with its robotized medical devices and rehabilitation devices needs studies both on human biomechanics and on mechanism synthesis, which involve kinematics.

This 2nd volume of the KaRD series, named KaRD2019, pursues the goal of getting the maximum advantage from its open source nature. In particular, I want to stress that submitting authors

  • Are also able to submit accompanying multimedia material;
  • Are immediately able to upload the paper version submitted for review as a preprint on https://www.preprints.org/, where it will receive a DOI and will be readable/citable by other researchers;
  • After the possible paper acceptance and the publication in Robotics, are able to upload their published paper on many social networks for researchers (e.g., ResearchGate.net), where they can publicly or privately interact with other researchers to start a discussion on the published results.

In short, the KaRD series, starting from this Special Issue, wants to be the reference point of an agora where researchers present and discuss their results, and I warmly invite all the authors to seize these opportunities.

The Special Issue aims at collecting recent research on all the below-listed topics. Review papers are also welcome.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

  • Synthesis of mechanisms;
  • Theoretical and computational kinematics;
  • Robot modeling and simulation;
  • Kinematics in robot control;
  • Position analysis;
  • Mobility and singularity analysis;
  • Performance measures;
  • Accuracy analysis;
  • Path planning and obstacle avoidance;
  • Novel manipulator architectures;
  • Metamorphic mechanisms;
  • Compliant mechanism analysis and synthesis;
  • Micro/nanomanipulator design;
  • Origami-based robotics;
  • Medical and rehabilitation robotics;
  • Kinematics in biological systems, humanoid robots, and humanoid subsystems;
  • Education in robotics.

Prof. Dr. Raffaele Di Gregorio
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Robotics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs), but for this special issue, the APC will be 350 CHF till 30 September 2019. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mechanism synthesis 
  • kinematic analysis 
  • robot modeling and simulation 
  • robot control
  • singularity analysis 
  • performance measures 
  • accuracy analysis 
  • path planning 
  • parallel manipulator 
  • serial manipulator 
  • robot design
  • compliant mechanism
  • micro/nanomanipulator
  • origami 
  • medical and rehabilitation robotics 
  • biomechanics

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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31 pages, 2104 KiB  
Article
Efficient Closed-Form Task Space Manipulability for a 7-DOF Serial Robot
by Gerold Huber and Dirk Wollherr
Robotics 2019, 8(4), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8040098 - 26 Nov 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 9621
Abstract
With the increasing demand for robots to react and adapt to unforeseen events, it is essential that a robot preserves agility at all times. While manipulability is a common measure to quantify agility at a given joint configuration, an efficient direct evaluation in [...] Read more.
With the increasing demand for robots to react and adapt to unforeseen events, it is essential that a robot preserves agility at all times. While manipulability is a common measure to quantify agility at a given joint configuration, an efficient direct evaluation in task space is usually not possible with conventional methods, especially for redundant robots with an infinite number of Inverse Kinematic solutions. Yet, this is essential for global online optimization of a robot posture. In this work, we derive analytical expressions for a conventional 7-degrees of freedom (7-DOF) serial robot structure, which enable the direct evaluation of manipulability from a reduced task space parametrization. The resulting expressions allow array operation and thus achieve very high computational efficiency with vector-optimized programming languages. This direct and simultaneous calculation of the task space manipulability for large numbers of poses benefits many optimization problems in robotic applications. We show applications in global optimization of robot mounting poses, as well as redundancy resolution with global online optimization w.r.t. manipulability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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13 pages, 2050 KiB  
Article
Additive Manufacturing as an Essential Element in the Teaching of Robotics
by Kevin Castelli and Hermes Giberti
Robotics 2019, 8(3), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8030073 - 20 Aug 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6381
Abstract
This paper aims to describe how additive manufacturing can be useful in enhancing a robotic course, allowing students to focus on all aspects of the multidisciplinary components of this subject. A three-year experience of the course of “robotic system design” is presented to [...] Read more.
This paper aims to describe how additive manufacturing can be useful in enhancing a robotic course, allowing students to focus on all aspects of the multidisciplinary components of this subject. A three-year experience of the course of “robotic system design” is presented to support the validity of the use of this technology in teaching. This course is specifically aimed at Master of Science (MSc) Mechanical Engineering students and therefore requires one to view the subject in all its aspects including those which are not conventionally taken into consideration such as mechanical design, prototyping and the final realization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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31 pages, 7584 KiB  
Article
Performance Evaluation of a Sensor Concept for Solving the Direct Kinematics Problem of General Planar 3-RPR Parallel Mechanisms by Using Solely the Linear Actuators’ Orientations
by Stefan Schulz
Robotics 2019, 8(3), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8030072 - 16 Aug 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7623
Abstract
In this paper, we experimentally evaluate the performance of a sensor concept for solving the direct kinematics problem of a general planar 3-RPR parallel mechanism by using solely the linear actuators’ orientations. At first, we review classical methods for solving the direct kinematics [...] Read more.
In this paper, we experimentally evaluate the performance of a sensor concept for solving the direct kinematics problem of a general planar 3-RPR parallel mechanism by using solely the linear actuators’ orientations. At first, we review classical methods for solving the direct kinematics problem of parallel mechanisms and discuss their disadvantages on the example of the general planar 3-RPR parallel mechanism, a planar parallel robot with two translational and one rotational degrees of freedom, where P denotes active prismatic joints and R denotes passive revolute joints. In order to avoid these disadvantages, we present a sensor concept together with an analytical formulation for solving the direct kinematics problem of a general planar 3-RPR parallel mechanism where the number of possible assembly modes can be significantly reduced when the linear actuators’ orientations are used instead of their lengths. By measuring the orientations of the linear actuators, provided, for example, by inertial measurement units, only two assembly modes exist. Finally, we investigate the accuracy of our direct kinematics solution under static as well as dynamic conditions by performing experiments on a specially designed prototype. We also investigate the solution formulation’s amplification of measurement noise on the calculated pose and show that the Cramér-Rao lower bound can be used to estimate the lower bound of the expected variances for a specific pose based exclusively on the variances of the linear actuators’ orientations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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Graphical abstract

24 pages, 1928 KiB  
Article
Modeling Parallel Robot Kinematics for 3T2R and 3T3R Tasks Using Reciprocal Sets of Euler Angles
by Moritz Schappler, Svenja Tappe and Tobias Ortmaier
Robotics 2019, 8(3), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8030068 - 6 Aug 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 10153
Abstract
Industrial manipulators and parallel robots are often used for tasks, such as drilling or milling, that require three translational, but only two rotational degrees of freedom (“3T2R”). While kinematic models for specific mechanisms for these tasks exist, a general kinematic model for parallel [...] Read more.
Industrial manipulators and parallel robots are often used for tasks, such as drilling or milling, that require three translational, but only two rotational degrees of freedom (“3T2R”). While kinematic models for specific mechanisms for these tasks exist, a general kinematic model for parallel robots is still missing. This paper presents the definition of the rotational component of kinematic constraints equations for parallel robots based on two reciprocal sets of Euler angles for the end-effector orientation and the orientation residual. The method allows completely removing the redundant coordinate in 3T2R tasks and to solve the inverse kinematics for general serial and parallel robots with the gradient descent algorithm. The functional redundancy of robots with full mobility is exploited using nullspace projection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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9 pages, 1095 KiB  
Article
Reconfiguration Analysis of a 3-DOF Parallel Mechanism
by Maurizio Ruggiu and Xianwen Kong
Robotics 2019, 8(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8030066 - 2 Aug 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6880
Abstract
This paper deals with the reconfiguration analysis of a 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) parallel manipulator (PM) which belongs to the cylindrical parallel mechanisms family. The PM is composed of a base and a moving platform shaped as equilateral triangles connected by three serial kinematic chains [...] Read more.
This paper deals with the reconfiguration analysis of a 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) parallel manipulator (PM) which belongs to the cylindrical parallel mechanisms family. The PM is composed of a base and a moving platform shaped as equilateral triangles connected by three serial kinematic chains (legs). Two legs are composed of two universal (U) joints connected by a prismatic (P) joint. The third leg is composed of a revolute (R) joint connected to the base, a prismatic joint and universal joint in sequence. A set of constraint equations of the 1-RPU−2-UPU PM is derived and solved in terms of the Euler parameter quaternion (a.k.a. Euler-Rodrigues quaternion) representing the orientation of the moving platform and of the Cartesian coordinates of the reference point on the moving platform. It is found that the PM may undergo either the 3-DOF PPR or the 3-DOF planar operation mode only when the base and the moving platform are identical. The transition configuration between the operation modes is also identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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17 pages, 10189 KiB  
Article
Simulation Assessment of the Performance of a Redundant SCARA
by Roberto Bussola, Giovanni Legnani, Massimo Callegari, Giacomo Palmieri and Matteo-Claudio Palpacelli
Robotics 2019, 8(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics8020045 - 12 Jun 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 8789
Abstract
The present paper analyses the potential dynamic performance of a novel redundant SCARA robot, currently at the stage of a functional design proposed by a renowned robot manufacturer. The static and dynamic manipulability of the new concept is compared with the conventional model [...] Read more.
The present paper analyses the potential dynamic performance of a novel redundant SCARA robot, currently at the stage of a functional design proposed by a renowned robot manufacturer. The static and dynamic manipulability of the new concept is compared with the conventional model of the same manufacturer by means of computer simulation in typical pick and place tasks arising from industry. The introduction of a further revolute joint in the SCARA robot kinematics leads to some improvements in the kinematic and dynamic behaviour at the expense of a greater complexity. In this paper, the potential of a redundant SCARA architecture in cutting cycle-times is investigated for the first time in performing several tasks. It is shown that, in order to exploit the possible enhancements of the redundant structure, the whole manipulator, mechanics and control must be redesigned according to specific tasks aiming at the optimization of their cycle-time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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Review

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14 pages, 1707 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Literature on the Lower-Mobility Parallel Manipulators of 3-UPU or 3-URU Type
by Raffaele Di Gregorio
Robotics 2020, 9(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics9010005 - 13 Jan 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6678
Abstract
Various 3-UPU architectures feature two rigid bodies connected to one another through three kinematic chains (limbs) of universal–prismatic–universal (UPU) type. They were first proposed in the last decade of the 20th century and have animated discussions among researchers for more-or-less two decades. Such [...] Read more.
Various 3-UPU architectures feature two rigid bodies connected to one another through three kinematic chains (limbs) of universal–prismatic–universal (UPU) type. They were first proposed in the last decade of the 20th century and have animated discussions among researchers for more-or-less two decades. Such discussions brought to light many features of lower-mobility parallel manipulators (PMs) that were unknown until then. The discussions also showed that such architectures may be sized into translational PMs, parallel wrists, or even reconfigurable (metamorphic) PMs. Even though commercial robots with these architectures have not yet been built, the interest in them remains. Consequently, a review of the literature on these architectures, highlighting their contribution to the progress of lower-mobility PM design, is still of interest for the scientific community. This paper aims at presenting a critical review of the results that have been obtained up until now. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Kinematics and Robot Design II, KaRD2019)
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