Part
Links and joints
You might say: arm segments, hinges
Links are rigid bodies. A joint constrains the relative motion between neighbouring links; a serial chain is one path of links and joints from base to tool.
- What it does
- Each joint contributes a known number of independent motions.
- Ask
- Which joint type is needed, and where are its axes?
What to look for
- Rigid bodies joined by constrained joints
- Hinges or sliders between neighbouring links
- One serial path from base to tool
Catalogue: Joint
- Revolute (R): A revolute joint is a hinge: one angle describes rotation about one axis.
- Prismatic (P): A prismatic joint is a slider: one displacement describes translation along one axis.
- Spherical (S): A spherical joint is a ball-and-socket joint with three rotational DoF; robot wrists often build it from three revolute joints.
Sources
- Kevin M. Lynch and Frank C. Park, Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control, Ch. 2 §§2.1–2.2
Basically, a mechanism is constructed by connecting rigid bodies, called links, together by means of joints, so that relative motion between adjacent links becomes possible.
Use it on your project
teardown-apply: hold "Links and joints" (links-and-joints) from the teardown at https://teardownatlas.com/robotics/ against my project
Paste it into a coding agent that has the teardown skills.
An AI agent wrote this map with the teardown skill. It can contain errors: check the sources before you rely on a part. About and legal