Fundamentals of Robotic Mechanical Systems

Abstract

The aim of the Fourth Edition is the same as that of the past editions: to provide the reader with the tools needed to better understand the fundamental concepts behind the design, analysis, control, and programming of robotic mechanical systems at large. The current edition includes additional examples and exercises. Furthermore, an updated account of progress and trends in the broad area of robotic mechanical systems, which continues developing at an impressive pace, is included in Chap. 1. However, a comprehensive summary of up-to-date developments is not possible in the limits of a book that stresses fundamentals. An effort was made to include an overview of the subject, with pertinent references for the details. Robotic systems that were not even mentioned in the First Edition, namely, flying robots, especially drones and quadrotors, are now highlighted. In producing the Fourth Edition, special attention was given to the consistency and accuracy of the presentation. In Chap. 4 new examples illustrating the implementation of the Denavit–Hartenberg notation and methodology are included, along with a numerical example on the inverse-displacement problem for spherical wrists. Some materials that complement the book are available on the Springer site allocated to the book: