Screw Theory Sandro Erni Ayoung Hong 14.10.

2013

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (DMAVT) ETH Zurich

Screw Theory
Every rigid body motion can be realized by a rotation about an axis combined with a translation parallel to that axis.

!! Geometrical description !! Screw Parameters !! Mathematical (abstract) !! Twist !! Mathematical (homogeneous) !! Matrix Exponentials

Screw Theory: Geometrical Description

Screw Parameters !! Pitch h !! Ratio of translational motion to rotational motion !! Axis l !! Axis of rotation, line through a point !! Direction of translation !! Magnitude M !! Net rotation !! Net translation
l

M h

Skew-Symmetric Matrix

= ( a) ^ a

# a b "a b % 2 3 3 2 = % a3b1 " a1b3 a ! b = ab % % $ a1b2 " a2 b1

& # 0 ( % ( = % a3 ( % ( ' % $ "a2

"a3 0 a1

a2 & ( "a1 ( b ( 0 ( '

= !a T a

Screw Theory: Mathematical Description

!! Twist Coordinates !! 6x1 vector

# !" " q +h" ( ) ! =% % ! $

& ( ( ' & ( ( '

! v $ ! =# & " 0 % ! 0 v $ ! =# & " 0 0 %

!! Twist !! 4x4 matrix

# " !" " q (+h" ) % != % 0 $ 0

!! Homogeneous Transformation !! 4x4 matrix

# #" e e =% % 0 $
!"

& #" ! I "v $ I ! e ! " v + h !" ( )( ) ( e!" =# & ( " 0 1 % 1 '

Rodrigues Formula
!! All rotation matrices can be written as a matrix exponential of a skew-symmetric matrix !! Simple computation of the matrix exponential (where ||!||=1) !! Rodrigues Formula:
sin " + ! 2 (1 ! cos" ) e!" = I +!

!! Homogeneous Transformation !! 4x4 matrix

# #" e e =% % 0 $
!"

& #" ! I "v $ I ! e ! " v + h !" ( )( ) ( e!" =# & ( " 0 1 % 1 '

Kinematics Toolbox

Figure, chart, video

Point q Rotation axis !# skew! skewcoords! Skew-symm. matrix !^ skewexp! skewlog! Rotation matrix R

createtwist! Magnitude twistmagnitude! M Axis l Pitch h twistaxis!

Twist Coord. [6x1] "#

twist! twistcoords!

Twist [4x4] "^ #

twistlog!

twistpitch! Hom. Transf. [4x4] g

twistexp!

Assignment 3
a)! g12 (0) (by inspection) b)! Screw parameters

c)!

=? " = ?, "

Figure, chart, video

d)! g12 (" ) = e#" g12 (0)

!
!

e)! plots