Analytical Robotics and Mechanics

Citation

Abbott, P. (1998), "Analytical Robotics and Mechanics", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 183-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.18.2.183.2

This is another reference volume aimed at the robotics student and engineer, that offers the so called basics of the subject in a single volume. However in this instance, the basics go well beyond many similar works and the subjects are addressed in sufficient depth for the practising engineer in most branches of automation, mechatronics or robotics to find something useful for revision or reference.

Eight chapters span the conventional subject matter from basic kinematics and forces, through sensors and vision, actuators and finally control. The introduction gives a short preamble about the subject, its beginnings and impetus, and provides a taste of the material to come with some electronics and elementary kinematics included for good measure. The subject matter in earnest starts with rigid body kinematics, introducing matrix transformations (initially in 2D) and homogeneous coordinates; the addition of forces and moments culminates in Euler’s laws. The fundamentals of electronics is dealt with in some 40 pages, though manages to cover op‐amps, fundamental semiconductor physics and simple binary systems and signal interfacing. In general the author tends to edit the breadth of coverage rather than its depth, and the reader is referred to a number of other texts to fill in the gaps. The chapters on sensors and vision cover the fundamental means of adding sensory feedback to the system, giving an overview of type and function. The material gives a grounding in optics, an introduction to light sensing and moves through digital imaging to the derivation of the camera transformation. Actuators are covered in better detail than most, particularly for hydraulics and pneumatics, and the few power transmission devices considered are treated in some detail. The book is rounded off with a chapter on the control of robots and actuator trajectories, with few surprises in content. There are plenty of problems and worked examples for each chapter, and references cited give pointers to the fundamentals in the literature.

If looking for a single robotics reference, this is an excellent book to consider. The mechanics and kinematics of robots and manipulators are well covered, and the supplemental analysis of sensors and actuators is very thorough. The text is approachable and well illustrated, though not for the maths shy, since the author’s approach is one of offering a sound engineering analysis of the major components rather than an exhaustive list of alternatives.