Kinematic Synthesis of Spatial Serial Chains Using Clifford Algebra Exponentials

Abstract

This article presents a formulation of the design equations for a spatial serial chain that uses the Clifford algebra exponential form of its kinematics equations. This is the even Clifford algebra C+( P3), known as dual quaternions. These equations define the position and orientation of the end effector in terms of rotations or translations about or along the joint axes of the chain. Because the coordinates of these axes appear explicitly, specifying a set of task positions these equations can be solved to determine the location of the joints. At the same time, joint parameters or certain dimensions are specified to ensure that the resulting robotic system has specific features.