Singularities in Robotics
What is the Singularities?
In robotics, singularities are specific configurations in which a robot’s freedom of the movement is lost or becomes limited. In these configurations, the motion of the robot can either cease unlikely or change in an undesired manner.
Singularities usually cause at specific points within a robot manipulator’s workspace and effect the robot motion capabilities. A singularity of robot occurs when the end-effector of the robot is constrained in certain directions, potentially resulting in unintended consequences for its motion.
In short, a singularity is a certain configuration where the motion of the end-effector is restricted. If a robot is in a singularity it “loses” one or more degrees of freedom¹. If you like to see how does singularity occur, you click here and try different configuration in cartesian space to occur singularity.
Which robots have singularities issues?
Singularities can occur in various types of robots, including robotics arms, manipulators, and humanoid robots.
How many types of singularities are there in robotics?
We have various types of singularities can occur at different locations along the robot’s kinematic chain.
- Wrist Singularities: These occur when the wrist of the robot manipulator becomes locked or restricted in its motion. Wrist singularities typically occur when the wrist axes align with each other or when they become parallel to the robot’s end-effector motion direction.
- Elbow Singularities: Elbow singularities happen when the robot’s elbow joint reaches a configuration where it loses one or more degrees of freedom. This often occurs when the robot’s arm is fully extended or fully retracted, causing the elbow joint to align with the wrist and shoulder axes.
- Shoulder Singularities: These singularities occur at the shoulder joint of the robot manipulator. They typically arise when the shoulder joint aligns with the wrist and elbow axes, causing the robot to lose mobility in certain directions.
- Inner Singularities: Inner singularities are those that occur within the workspace of the robot manipulator. These singularities restrict the motion of the robot’s end-effector, usually in specific directions or orientations, making certain tasks difficult or impossible to perform.
- Outer Singularities: Outer singularities are located outside the robot’s workspace but can still affect its performance. These singularities often occur at extreme positions or orientations of the robot’s joints, leading to limitations in the robot’s motion capabilities.
Conclusion
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