OVERVIEW

The course will familiarize students with advanced mathematical methods of modelling rigid-body motion as applied to the study, design, and control of robotic mechanisms. The focus is on a good understanding of the modern view on the geometry, kinematics, and statics of articulated multi-body systems based on a screw-theoretical formalism and elements of Lie-algebra theory. The targeted applications are in mechanism analysis and synthesis, as well as robot dynamics, flexibility, and control.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

"To give the students the fundamentals of: •C++ programming •Industrial robot manipulator programming using specialized robot languages."

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course will provide and polish the fundamental skills and knowledge of advanced kinematic geometry. On this basis, the students will be ready to specialize and deepen their abilities in order to address various specific problems arising in their own research or engineering practice.

If possible, the final lectures and the tutorials will be targeted to address areas and applications of particular influence to the class. If suitable some of the assignments may be closely related students’ own thesis and research projects.

An important emphasis of the course is on fine-tuning the further developing the students’ geometrical intuitions for rigid-body motion in three-dimensional space. For this purpose, visualizations and classical geometry are used in parallel with rigorous mathematical formalisms.

PREREQUISITES

Abstract linear algebra, classical spatial geometry, classical mechanics, vector analysis, basic notions of screw theory.

TEACHING METHODS

The lectures will cover the topics of the syllabus. The students are expected to take notes and answer questions during the lecture/tutorial sessions. Homework will be assigned continuously and marked. The work on the assignments will play a key role in the final evaluation. A number of tutorials will introduce the use of Maple for modelling mechanisms; one of the assignments will focus on these skills.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1.  Linear spaces, screws, twists, and wrenches: the algebra and geometry of screw theory.

2. Freedom and constraint analysis, synthesis, and motion capabilities of parallel mechanism.

3. A modern view of classical notions in the kinematic geometry of planar mechanisms.

4. Input-output mechanical devices. Velocity and singularity analysis.

5. Statics of mechanisms. Mechanism singularities.

6. Acceleration in rigid-body systems, introduction to dynamics. Introductory notions in the flexibility analysis of mechanisms.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lecture notes and slides.

Hunt, K., 1978, Kinematic geometry of mechanisms, Clarendon Press.

Murray, R.M, Li, Z., and Sastry, S.S., 1994, Mathematical introduction to robotic manipulation, CRC.

John Joseph Uicker, J.J., G. R. Pennock, G.R., and Shigley, J.E., 2016, Theory of Machines and Mechanisms. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

RENATO UGO RAFFAELE ZACCARIA (President)

DIMITER ZLATANOV (President)

REZIA MOLFINO

MATTEO ZOPPI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

17 September 2018

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is an oral interview. An important part of the exam is a discussion of the students’ work on the homework assignments and the assessment of their ability to handle other similar tasks. The students must be able to report briefly the basic notions of each of a list of topics covered during the lectures. 

ASSESSMENT METHODS

50% continuous assessment

Exam schedule