Manipulator Modeling

Manipulator rigid body tree model import, forward kinematics, dynamics, joint- and task-space motion models

Robot models simulate the kinematic and dynamic properties of manipulator robots and other rigid body systems. The models are rigidBodyTree objects containing rigidBody and rigidBodyJoint elements with joint transformations and inertial properties.

Access predefined models for certain commercial robots, such as Kinova^® and KUKA™, using the loadrobot function.

Import existing UDRF or Simscape™ Multibody™ models using importrobot.

Export URDF details in file format from rigid body tree model using exportrobot or create a URDF exporter object using urdfExporter.

Model the motion of the robots using joint- or task-space motion models as jointSpaceMotionModel and taskSpaceMotionModel objects.

Functions

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Rigid Body Tree Models

`importrobot`	Import rigid body tree model from URDF, Xacro, SDF file, text, or Simscape Multibody model
`loadrobot`	Load predefined robot model and specifications from Robot Library
`exportrobot`	Export URDF details in file format from rigid body tree model (Since R2023b)
`rigidBodyTree`	Create tree-structured robot
`rigidBody`	Create a rigid body
`rigidBodyJoint`	Create a joint
`interactiveRigidBodyTree`	Interact with rigid body tree robot models (Since R2020a)
`urdfExporter`	Create URDF exporter object from rigid body tree robot model (Since R2023b)
`writefile`	Generate URDF file for rigid body tree robot model (Since R2023b)
`writenode`	Generate XML DOM node for rigid body tree robot model (Since R2023b)

Workspace Analysis

`manipulabilityIndex`	Calculate manipulability index of robot at specified joint configuration (Since R2024b)
`generateRobotWorkspace`	Generate reachable workspace of robot in environment (Since R2024b)
`showWorkspaceAnalysis`	Plot robot workspace encoded by manipulability index of robot end effector (Since R2024b)

Motion Models

`jointSpaceMotionModel`	Model rigid body tree motion given joint-space inputs
`taskSpaceMotionModel`	Model rigid body tree motion given task-space reference inputs

Kinematics

`getTransform`	Get transform between body frames
`randomConfiguration`	Generate random configuration of robot
`homeConfiguration`	Get home configuration of robot
`show`	Show robot model in figure

Dynamics

`centerOfMass`	Center of mass position and Jacobian
`externalForce`	Compose external force matrix relative to base
`forwardDynamics`	Joint accelerations given joint torques and states
`geometricJacobian`	Geometric Jacobian for robot configuration
`gravityTorque`	Joint torques that compensate gravity
`inverseDynamics`	Required joint torques for given motion
`massMatrix`	Joint-space mass matrix
`velocityProduct`	Joint torques that cancel velocity-induced forces

Blocks

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Kinematics and Dynamics

Forward Dynamics	Joint accelerations given joint torques and states
Inverse Dynamics	Required joint torques for given motion
Get Jacobian	Geometric Jacobian for robot configuration
Get Transform	Get transform between body frames
Gravity Torque	Joint torques that compensate gravity
Joint Space Mass Matrix	Joint-space mass matrix for robot configuration
Velocity Product Torque	Joint torques that cancel velocity-induced forces

Motion Models

Joint Space Motion Model	Model rigid body tree motion given joint-space inputs
Task Space Motion Model	Model rigid body tree motion given task-space inputs

Topics

Rigid Body Tree Robot Model
Explore the structure and specific components of a rigid body tree robot model.
Build a Robot Step by Step
Explore the detailed process of constructing a robot, highlighting different robot components and function calls to build them.
Joint-Space Motion Model
Use joint-space motion model to characterize the motion of a manipulator under closed-loop joint-space position control.
Task-Space Motion Model
Use task-space motion model to characterize the motion of a manipulator under closed-loop task-space position control.
Robot Dynamics
Explore different elements, properties, and equations of rigid body robot dynamics.
Install Robotics System Toolbox Robot Library Data Support Package
Use Add-On to add robot mesh data.

Featured Examples

New

Estimate Pose of Fixed Camera Relative to Robot Base

Estimate the camera intrinsics for a fixed camera using hand-to-eye calibration.

Open Live Script

New

Estimate Pose of Moving Camera Mounted on a Robot

Perform and verify hand-eye calibration for a robot arm equipped with a camera.

(Computer Vision Toolbox)

Since R2024b

New

Workspace Analysis for Manipulators

Use workspace analysis to determine the regions of a robot workspace that have high manipulability.

Since R2024b
Open Live Script

Load Predefined Robot Models

Explore how to load predefined robot models to generate joint configurations and interact with them.

Open Live Script

Build Basic Rigid Body Tree Models

Use rigid body tree robot model elements to build a basic robot arm with five degrees of freedom.

Open Live Script

Build Manipulator Robot Using Kinematic DH Parameters

Use the DH parameters of the Puma560® manipulator robot to incrementally build a rigid body tree robot model and interact with it.

Open Live Script

Perform Trajectory Tracking and Compute Joint Torque for Manipulator Using Simscape

Track trajectory and compute joint torque to drive the Simscape Multibody model along the given joint trajectory.

Open Live Script

Design Position Controlled Manipulator Using Simscape

Design a manipulator position controller and compute joint position to drive the Simscape Multibody manipulator model.

Open Live Script

Compute Joint Torques To Balance An Endpoint Force and Moment

Generate torques to balance an endpoint force acting on the end-effector body of a planar robot.

Open Live Script