Teaching Forward Kinematics Using LEGO Mindstorms
Abstract
The present work aims to present a methodology for the teaching of forward kinematics of manipulators, which is one of the main topics of an industrial robotics course for undergraduate students. The most common technique for teaching the forward kinematics of manipulators is the Denavit-Hartenberg method, which is based on an analysis of the rigid body of the manipulator to obtain parameters that allow the definition of homogenous transformation matrices and thus, to relate the reference system of the final effector with the reference system of the base of the robot. The simulation and experimentation in the laboratory can be of great help to improve the understanding of these concepts. The proposed approach allows students 1) Reaffirm their knowledge through a platform of manipulators modeled in SOLIDWORKS, exported to the MATLAB Simulink environment and, 2) Verify their ability to solve a forward kinematics problem of a physical manipulator built with the LEGO Mindstorms kit and controlled by the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 library for MATLAB.
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References
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