2006 Lecture Programme

The lecture notes are written during the lectures onto overhead slides. Scanned images of the handwritten notes will be posted here after lectures. Please note that the lecture numbering on the scanned notes may differ slightly from the order in which the lectures are actually presented.

Lectopia recordings of the lectures are now available.

1. Introduction and slide show. Scanned notes

2. Introduction to Forward Kinematics.
   terminology, example manipulators, geometric solutions to the forward kinematics. Scanned notes

3. Homogeneous Transforms
   rigid motions, matrix representations, coordinate frames. Scanned notes

4. Homogeneous Transforms (continued)
   translations, rotations, relative transformations, inverse transformations. Scanned notes

5. Forward Kinematics Via Homogeneous Transforms
   Denavit-Hartenberg matrix, revisiting the previous geometric examples with homogeneous approaches. Scanned notes

6. Generalized Link Parameters
   assigning coordinate frames, terminology and examples. Scanned notes

7. Inverse Kinematics
   solution existance, reachable and dextrous workspaces, multiple solutions, method for obtaining solutions, geometric solutions. Scanned notes

8. Inverse Kinematics - orientations
   Pieper's generalised strategy, orientation by Euler angles, inverse of the Euler transform. Scanned notes

9. Trajectory Generation - joint space schemes
   problem definition, smooth paths in joint space. Scanned notes

10. Trajectory Generation - cartesian schemes
    path interpolation real space, Bezier curves, control points, generalized polynomial curves, special cases of cubic curves. Scanned notes

11. Jacobian Motion Rate Control Scanned notes

12. Jacobian Motion Rate Control - geometric interpretation of the Jacobian matrix Scanned notes

13. The Jacobian Matrix - force control Scanned notes

14. Singularities Scanned notes

15. Singularities (continued) Scanned notes

16. Interpolation in Orientation Space Scanned notes

17. Kinematically Redundant Robots Scanned notes

18. Kinematically Redundant Robots (continued) Scanned notes

19. Kinematically Redundant Robots (continued) Scanned notes

20. Obstacle Avoidance - Introduction Scanned notes

21. Obstacle Avoidance - Mobile Robots Scanned notes

22. Obstacle Avoidance - Manipulator Arms Scanned notes

23. Obstacle Avoidance - Potential Field Methods Scanned notes

24. Case Study: Robot Sheep Shearing

25. Robot Sheep Shearing (continued)

26. Spare

Reference Books

Placed in MPSL closed reserve are:

• "Introduction to Robotics" by Phillip KcKerrow
• "Robot Manipulators: Mathematics, Programming and Control" by Richard Paul.
• "Introduction to Robotics: Mechanics and Control" by John Craig.