Int. J. Vehicle Autonomous Systems, Vol. 9, Nos. 3/4, 2011
Manipulator simulation and its application to model a crawling gait locomotion S.M.R.S. Noorani* and Ahmad Ghanbari Center of Excellence for Mechatronics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, P.O. Box 5166616471, Tabriz, Iran E-mail:
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[email protected] *Corresponding author Abstract: In recent years, efforts have been made to develop efficient path planners for manipulators with large numbers of Degrees of Freedom (DOFs). The first part of this paper includes modelling and dynamic analysing of the planar manipulators, which consist of n revolute joints and possess a frictional contact between end-effecter and environment. The dynamic analysis is based on Lagrangian formulation and equations of motion are represented in an explicit and straightforward manner. In following, inchworm robot, which is an articulated mechanism that performs a specific mode of crawling locomotion similar to the caterpillars, is modelled by a manipulator as a case study approach to part 1. In this problem, the required joint torques to achieve the locomotion pattern of one part of motion course are calculated. Keywords: serial manipulator dynamics; Lagrangian formulation; frictional contact; crawling robot. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Noorani, S.M.R.S. and Ghanbari, A. (2011) ‘Manipulator simulation and its application to model a crawling gait locomotion’, Int. J. Vehicle Autonomous Systems, Vol. 9, Nos. 3/4, pp.241–252. Biographical notes: S.M.R.S. Noorani received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Engineering College at Golpayegan, Iran, in 2006 and his MSc in Mechanical Engineering – Applied Mechanics – from Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran, in 2009. At present, he is PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tabriz. His research interests are in the areas of biologically inspired robotics, multi-bodies dynamics, systems modelling and identification, control, and especially, robotic manipulators. Ahmad Ghanbari received the BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly University Pomona, CA, USA, in 1981 and DSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran, in 2007. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Head of Mechatronics Research Lab. at the University of Tabriz. Design and analysis of AGV for abnormal conditions, fault detection and analysis of mechanical signature in miniature ball bearing and sensitivity control of robotics manipulators are major fields of his researches.
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