The volume contains 19 contributions by international experts in the field of multibody system dynamics, robotics and control. The book aims to bridge the gap between the modeling of mechanical systems by means of multibody dynamics formulations and robotics. In the classical approach, a multibody dynamics model contains a very high level of detail, however, the application of such models to robotics or control is usually limited. The papers aim to connect the different scientific communities in multibody dynamics, robotics and control. Main topics are flexible multibody systems, humanoid robots, elastic robots, nonlinear control, optimal path planning, and identification.

Underactuated multibody systems are intriguing mechatronic systems, as they posses fewer control inputs than degrees of freedom. Some examples are modern light-weight flexible robots and articulated manipulators with passive joints. This book investigates such underactuated multibody systems from an integrated perspective. This includes all major steps from the modeling of rigid and flexible multibody systems, through nonlinear control theory, to optimal system design. The underlying theories and techniques from these different fields are presented using a self-contained and unified approach and notation system. Subsequently, the book focuses on applications to large multibody systems with multiple degrees of freedom, which require a combination of symbolical and numerical procedures. Finally, an integrated, optimization-based design procedure is proposed, whereby both structural and control design are considered concurrently. Each chapter is supplemented by illustrated examples.

This book discusses the dynamic analysis of rigid-flexible robots and multibody systems with serial as well as closed-loop architecture. The book presents a formulation of dynamic model of rigid-flexible robots based on the unique approach of de-coupling of natural orthogonal complements of velocity constraints. Based on this formulation, a computationally efficient and numerically stable forward dynamics algorithms for serial-chain and closed-loop robotic systems with rigid or flexible or rigid-flexible links is presented. The proposed algorithm is shown to be a numerically efficient for forward dynamics based on the investigation methodologies built on eigen value analytics. Precision and functionality of the simulation algorithms is presented/illustrated with application on different serial and closed-loop systems (both planar and spatial types). Some of the major robotic arms used to illustrate the proposed dynamic formulation and simulation algorithms are PUMA robot, Stanford robot arm, and Canadarm. It is envisaged that the book will be useful for researchers working on the development of rigid-flexible robots for use in defense, space, atomic energy, ocean exploration, and the manufacturing of biomedical equipment.

Dynamics of multibody systems is of great importance in the fields of robotics, biomechanics, spacecraft control, road and rail vehicle design, and dynamics of machinery. Many research problems have been solved and a considerable number of computer codes based on multibody formalisms is now available. With the present book it is intended to collect software systems for multibody system dynamics which are well established and have found acceptance in the users community. The Handbook will aid the reader in selecting the software system which is most appropriate to his needs. Altogether 17 research groups contributed to the Handbook. A compact summary of important capabilities of these software systems is presented in tabular form. All authors dealt with two typical test examples, a planar mechanism and a spatial robot. Thus, it is very easy to compare the results and to identify more clearly the advantages of one or the other formalism.

Robot and Multibody Dynamics: Analysis and Algorithms provides a comprehensive and detailed exposition of a new mathematical approach, referred to as the Spatial Operator Algebra (SOA), for studying the dynamics of articulated multibody systems. The approach is useful in a wide range of applications including robotics, aerospace systems, articulated mechanisms, bio-mechanics and molecular dynamics simulation. The book also: treats algorithms for simulation, including an analysis of complexity of the algorithms, describes one universal, robust, and analytically sound approach to formulating the equations that govern the motion of complex multi-body systems, covers a range of more advanced topics including under-actuated systems, flexible systems, linearization, diagonalized dynamics and space manipulators. Robot and Multibody Dynamics: Analysis and Algorithms will be a valuable resource for researchers and engineers looking for new mathematical approaches to finding engineering solutions in robotics and dynamics.

A comprehensive review of the principles and dynamics of robotic systems Dynamics and Control of Robotic Systems offers a systematic and thorough theoretical background for the study of the dynamics and control of robotic systems. The authors—noted experts in the field—highlight the underlying principles of dynamics and control that can be employed in a variety of contemporary applications. The book contains a detailed presentation of the precepts of robotics and provides methodologies that are relevant to realistic robotic systems. The robotic systems represented include wide range examples from classical industrial manipulators, humanoid robots to robotic surgical assistants, space vehicles, and computer controlled milling machines. The book puts the emphasis on the systematic application of the underlying principles and show how the computational and analytical tools such as MATLAB, Mathematica, and Maple enable students to focus on robotics’ principles and theory. Dynamics and Control of Robotic Systems contains an extensive collection of examples and problems and: Puts the focus on the fundamentals of kinematics and dynamics as applied to robotic systems Presents the techniques of analytical mechanics of robotics Includes a review of advanced topics such as the recursive order N formulation Contains a wide array of design and analysis problems for robotic systems Written for students of robotics, Dynamics and Control of Robotic Systems offers a comprehensive review of the underlying principles and methods of the science of robotics.

This textbook – a result of the author’s many years of research and teaching – brings together diverse concepts of the versatile tool of multibody dynamics, combining the efforts of many researchers in the field of mechanics.