Numerical Analysis of the Kinematic Dexterity of Mechanisms

A general approach to numerical analysis of the kinematic dexterity of mechanisms is presented. Dextrous workspace problems are first defined and illustrated with examples. Composite workspaces are introduced to characterize both positioning and orienting capabilities of mechanisms. A numerical formulation and computer implementation that incorporates computer graphics and a numerical algorithm for solving systems of nonlinear equations are presented. Using the composite workspace formulation and the computer implementation, numerical techniques for dextrous workspace analysis are presented. Examples are given to illustrate the techniques developed.