A method for determining the optimal position of a robotic task within a manipulator’s workspace considering the minimum singularity free paths in joint space in order to achieve a high kinematic performance is presented. The selected performance criterion was the minimization of the joint velocities during task execution under a given end effector velocity. The proposed method is applied to place kinematic tasks for a UR-5 manipulator. Joint speed measurements are compared for the optimal and the “bad” task positions and the results show that at the optimal position, lower joint speeds are exerted during task execution.

The inherit complexity of the determination of the optimal anatomy and structure to task requirements and specification for metamorphic manipulators poses a significant challenge to the end user, as such methods and tools to undertake such processes are required for the implementation of metamorphic robots to real-life applications in various fields. In this work, the methodology for an offline process for the determination of the optimal anatomy maximizing performance under different requirements is presented. Such requirements considered in this work include the kinematic, kinetostatic and dynamic performance of the manipulator during task execution. The proposed methodology is then applied to a 3 D.o.F. metamorphic manipulator for different tasks. The presented results clearly show that a single metamorphic structure is able to provide the end user with different anatomies, each better suited to task specifications.

The article presents the results of a manipulability analysis and optimal remote center of motion (RCM) frame placement based on the manipulability index for a simplified model of a planar laparoscopic surgical robot system with a control-based RCM constraint. The paper presents an analytical kinematic model of the planar laparoscopic surgical robot system, a method for computing a manipulability objective taking into account the RCM constraint, and a formulation of the optimization problem used to establish the optimal placement of the system with respect to the task. The presented results are backed by a sensitivity analysis measuring the influence of parameter uncertainty on the value of the objective.