Efficient dynamic simulation of multiple manipulator systems with singularities

The authors present an efficient algorithm for the simulation of a system of m manipulators each having N degrees of freedom that are grasping a common object. They specifically address the problem when a number, s, of the manipulators are in singular configurations, and the resulting algorithm has a computation complexity of O(mN)+O(s/sup 3/). This is a significant improvement over previous algorithms, which cite an O(mN)+O(m/sup 3/) computation. Efficient O(mN) algorithms are also presented for special cases where only one or two chains are in singular configurations. By applying the algorithm for the latter case to a dual-arm system, an algorithm results that requires fewer computations than that of existing methods, and has the added benefit of being robust in the presence of singular manipulators.<
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