Introduction to Robotics

Lecture 3

Lecture Contents
Spatial Descriptions and Transformations
Descriptions: positions, orientations and frames
Mapping: Changing descriptions from frame to frame

Central Topic
Problem
Robotic manipulators, by definition,
implies that parts and tools will be
moving around in space by the
manipulator mechanism
This requires representation of
positions and orientations of the
parts, tools and the mechanism
itself
Solution
Mathematical tools for representing
position and orientation of
objects/frames in a 3D space

Coordinate System

Coordinate System

Universe Coordinate System

Assume, there is a Universe Coordinate System to which
everything can be referenced
All positions and orientations will be described with respect to
the Universe Coordinate System or with respect to other
Cartesian Coordinate System which are( or could be) defined
relative to the Universe Coordinate System

Description of a Position
The location of any point
in space can be described
as a 3x1 position vector in
a reference coordinate
system
Coordinate system

Position Vector

Description of a Position
Vectors will be written with a leading superscript indicating
the coordinate system to which they are referenced, for
example AP
This means that the components of AP have numerical values
which indicate distances along the axes of { A }
Each of these distances along an axis can be thought of as the
result of projecting the vector onto the corresponding axis

Description of an Orientation
The orientation of a body is
described by attaching
coordinate system to the
body {B} and then defining
the relationship between
the body and the reference
{A} using the rotation
matrix
Position : AP
Orientation : AXB , AYB , A ZB

Description of Orientation
Thus, positions of points are described with vectors and
orientations of bodies are described with an attached
coordinate system
One way to describe the body attached to the coordinate
system, {B}, is to write the unit vectors of its three principal
axes in terms of the coordinate system {A}
The unit vectors giving the principal directions of
coordinate system {B} as
XB ,YB , ZB
When written in terms of coordinate system {A}, they are
called as
AX AY A Z
B,
B,
B

Rotation Matrix
It is convenient to stack these three unit vectors together as
the columns of a 3X3 matrix, in the order
The matrix is then called as rotation matrix, and because this
particular rotation matrix describes {B} relative to {A}, it is
named with the notation
Reference Frame

Body Frame

Rotation Matrix
In summary, a set of three vectors may be used to specify an
orientation
For convenience, construct a 3X3 matrix that has these three
vectors as its columns

Hence, whereas the position of a point is represented with a

vector, the orientation of a body is represented with a matrix
The expressions for scalars rij can be computed by noting that
components of any vector are simply the projections of that
vector onto the unit directions of its reference frame and so
can be written as the dot product of a pair of unit vectors

Rotation Matrix

AX

AR BX
=
B
B

Rotation matrix describes {B}

relative to {A}

1
AX

AR
=
B
B

0
0
0

AZ = AR
B
B 0
1

0
AY

AR
=
B
B

1
0

.
AX =
.
B
.
Components of XB in {A}

Rotation Matrix

BZ T
A

Description of an Orientation
Since the dot product of two unit vectors yields the cosine of
the angle between them, the components of rotation
matrices are often referred to as direction cosines
The rows of the rotation matrix ARB are the unit vectors of {A}
expressed in {B}, that is

B RT
A

Description of an Orientation
Hence, BAR the description of {A} relative to {B} is given by the
transpose of ABR , that is

This means that the inverse of a rotation matrix is equal to its

transpose

Description of an Orientation
Example 1

ZA
YB

{A}

BR =

1 0 0
0 0 -1
0 1 0

YA

ZB

{B}
XA
XB

Rotated frames General Notation

Description of a Frame
The information needed to completely specify the
whereabouts of the manipulator hand is a position and an
orientation
The point on the body whose position is described could be
chosen arbitrarily
For convenience, however, the point whose position will be
described is chosen as the origin of the body attached frame
The situation of a position and an orientation pair arises so
often in robotics that an entity is defined for it called as frame

Description of a Frame
The frame is a set of four vectors giving position and
orientation information
For example, one vector locates the fingertip position and
three more describe its orientation
Equivalently, the description of a frame can be thought of as a
position vector and a rotation matrix

Thus, frame is a coordinate system, where in addition to the

orientation, a position vector is given which locates its origin
relative to some other embedding frame

Description of a Frame
For example, frame {B} is described by ABR and
AP
BORG is the vector that locates the origin of
the frame {B}
{B}
{A}

{B}={

BR

Rotation matrix
describing frame {B}
relative to frame {A}

AP
BORG

The origin of frame

{B} relative to frame
{A}

AP

BORG

Description of a Frame
There are three
frames shown along
with the universe
coordinate system

Frame{A} and {B} are

known relative to
universe coordinate
system and frame {C}
is known relative to
frame {A}

Description of a Frame
A frame is depicted by 3
arrows representing unit
vectors defining the
principal axes of the frame
An arrow representing a
vector is drawn from one
origin to another
This vector represents the
position of origin at the
head of arrow in terms of
the frame at the tail of the
arrow

Description of a Frame
The direction of this
locating arrow tells us, for
example, that {C} is
known relative to {A} and
not vice versa
In summary, frame can be
used as a description of
one coordinate system
relative to another

Mappings
Mappings refer to changing the description of a point(or vector) in space
from one frame to another
The second frame has three possibilities in reference to first frame:
1.

Second-frame is moved away from the first, the axes of both frames
remain parallel, respectively. This is a translation of the origin of the
second frame from the first frame in space

2.

Second-frame is rotated with respect to the first; the origin of both the
frames is same. In robotics this referred as changing the orientation

3.

Second-frame is rotated with respect to the first and moved away from
it, that is, the second frame is translated and its orientation is also
changed

Mappings: Translated Frames

In this figure, position is
defined by the vector BP
with respect to frame {B}
Now, need to express this
point in space in terms of
frame {A} has the same
orientation as frame {B}
In this case, frame {B}
differs from frame {A} only
by a translation which is
given by APBORG , a vector
which locates origin of
frame {B} relative to frame
{A}

Changing the position description of a point P

Mappings: Translated Frames

Note, that only in special case of equivalent orientations may we
add vectors which are defined in terms of different frames
This idea of mapping is important concept, quantity itself ( here a
point in space) is not changed; only description is changed

Point described by BP is not translated, but remains the same, and

instead a new description of the same point was computed, but
now with respect to frame {A}
The vector APBORG defines this mapping, since all information
needed to perform the change in description is contained in APBORG
(along with the knowledge that the frames has equivalent
orientation)

Mappings: Rotated Frames

The rotation matrix describes frame {B} relative to frame {A},
it was named with ABR
By definition, the columns of a rotation matrix all have unit
magnitude, and further, these unit vectors are orthogonal
A consequence of this is:
Therefore, since the columns of ABR are the unit vectors of {B}
written in {A}, then rows of ABR are the unit vectors of {A}
written in {B}

Mappings: Rotated Frames

If P is given in {B}: BP

AP

BP

BP

= BAR AP

Mappings: Rotated Frames

Figure shows a frame {B} which is
rotated relative to frame {A} about Zaxis by 30 degrees
Here Z is pointing out of the page
Writing the unit vectors of {B} in terms
of {A} and stacking them as the
columns of the rotation matrix obtain:

A R (
B Z

)=

Mappings: Rotated Frames

Here, ABR acts as a mapping that is used to describe BP relative to frame

{A} , AP
Important to remember is that, viewed as a mapping, the original vector P
is not changed in space
Rather, a new description of the vector is computed relative to another
frame

Mappings: General transform

Here, the origin of frame {B} is not coincident with that of
frame {A} but has a general vector offset
The vector that locates {B}s origin is called APBORG

Also {B} is rotated with respect to {A} as described by ABR

Given, BP we wish to compute AP

Mappings: General Transform

First change BP to its description
relative to an intermediate frame
that has the same orientation as {A},
but whose origin is coincident with
the origin of {B}
This is done by multiplying by ABR
Then account for the translation
between origins by simple vector
addition and obtain: