An inverse kinematic solution for kinematically redundant robot manipulators

The computation of the sequence of joint motion on the basis of the Cartesian motion of an interested member is addressed by an inverse kinematic analysis that is based on a Newton-Raphson numerical procedure. This procedure may be applied to the solution of the inverse kinematic problem for a manipulator of any mechanical configuration without having to derive a closed form solution beforehand. The technique is applicable to redundant manipulators, since additional constraints on other members, as well as on the end effector, may be imposed. The approach is presently applied to a seven-degree-of-freedom manipulator, and its obstacle-avoidance capability is demonstrated.