Robotics - Dynamics and kinematics

The study of motion can be divided into kinematics and dynamics. We can distinguish two types of kinematics:

        -     Direct kinematics refers to the calculation of end effector position, orientation, velocity,        and acceleration when the corresponding joint values are known.

        -      Inverse kinematics refers to the opposite case in which required joint values are calculated forgiven end effetor values, as done nin path planning.

Some special aspects of kinematics include different possibilities of performing the same movement. Once all relevant positions, velocities, and accelerations have been calculated using kinematics, methods from the field of dynamics are used to study the effect of forces upon these movements.

-       Direct dynamics refers to the calculation of accelerations in the robot once the applied forces are known. Direct dynamics is used in computer simulation of the robot.

-        Inverse dynamics refers to the calculation of the actuator forces necessary to create a prescribed end effector acceleration. This information can be used to improve the control algorithms of a robot.

In each area mentioned above, researchers strive to develop new concepts and strategies, improve existing ones, and improve the interaction between these areas. To do this, criteria for "optimal" performance and ways to optimize design, structure, and control of robots must be developed and implemented.