Ahmedabad University

Robot Modelling
ENR506: Robotics
Session 08:
Mathematical Modelling
- Dr. Keyur Dineshchandra Joshi

Mathematical modelling of Robots Mathematical modelling of Robots

Each joint allows a
single degree of freedom
of motion between
adjacent links of the
manipulator

The axis of rotation of a

revolute joint, or
the axis along which a
prismatic joint translates by zi
if the joint is the inter-
connection of links i and i+1.
Other types of joints are not considered in this course

Robot Configuration and its space Assumptions

Keyur D. Joshi 1
Ahmedabad University

Degrees of Freedom Degrees of Freedom

A robot is said to have n degrees of freedom if its
configuration can be minimally specified by n parameters
• A robotic arm with less than 6 DOF
• Number of DOF = Dimension of the configuration space cannot reach every point on its
• For robot manipulator, the number of joints determines the number of DOF. workspace with arbitrary orientation.
• Some application (reaching behind
obstacles) may require more than 6
DOF.
Kinematically Redundant Robot

7 DOF robotic arm: Redundant Manipulator

The Kinova Gen3 Ultra lightweight arm
Canadian company,

The State The State Space and the Workspace

The dimension of the state space is 2n if the system has n DOF

The Workspace: Limitation and types Robots: Serial link and parallel

RW: Entire set of points reachable by manipulator

DW: Set of points that the manipulator can reach

with an arbitrary orientation of the end effector

Keyur D. Joshi 2
Ahmedabad University

1. Articulated Robot (RRR) 1.1 Anthropomorphic (human like) Design

Joint axes for an elbow manipulator (See below)
Waist (Z0)
Shoulder (Z1)
Elbow (Z2)

Symbolic representation of an RRR manipulator, and the KUKA 500 arm.

Links & joints of this configuration are analogous to human joints and limbs.

2. Spherical Robot (RRP) 3. SCARA Robot (RRP)

Schematic representation of an RRP manipulator (Left), ABB’s SCARA

The Stanford Arm (Right), an early example of a spherical arm Selective Compliant Articulated Robot for Assembly
(Z0 perpendicular to Z1, and Z1 perpendicular to Z2) (Z0, Z1, and Z2 mutually parallel)

4. Cylindrical Robot (RPP) 5. Cartesian Robot (PPP)

The Yamaha YK-XC Cartesian robot & its symbolic representation

R19 cylindrical robot from ST Robotics Simplest kinematic description
(Z0 & Z1, parallel and Z2 perpendicular) (Z0, Z1, and Z2 are perpendicular)

Keyur D. Joshi 3
Ahmedabad University

6. Parallel Robot Overall Robotic System

Parallel robots generally have

higher structural rigidity and
higher accuracy than serial link robots

The links form a closed chain

(Two or more chain connecting to the base)

Kinematic description is fundamentally

different as compared with the serial link
robots.

ABB’s IRB360 parallel robot The mechanical arm = one component in an overall robotic system

Accuracy and Repeatability Accuracy limiting parameters

Repeatability limiting parameter Repeatability limiting parameter

prismatic joints, typically have higher resolution than revolute joints

straight-line distance traversed by the tip of a linear axis between two
points is less than the corresponding arc length traced by the tip of a
rotational link

Keyur D. Joshi 4
Ahmedabad University

Linear vs Rotational link motion

Thank You !

Smaller Revolute joint can cover the same

distance d as a larger Prismatic joint. Query?
The tip of a prismatic link can cover a distance equal to the
length of the link. The tip of a rotational link of length a,
by contrast, can cover a distance of 2a by rotating 180 degrees

Keyur D. Joshi 5