KDL contains for the moment only generic solvers for kinematic chains. They can be used (with care) for every KDL::Chain.

The idea behind the generic solvers is to have a uniform API. We do this by inheriting from the abstract classes for each type of solver:

• ChainFkSolverPos
• ChainFkSolverVel
• ChainIkSolverVel
• ChainIkSolverPos

A seperate solver has to be created for each chain. At construction time, it will allocate all necessary resources.

This page summarizes the functionality for kinematic structures: Joint, Segment, Chain and Tree. The API pages of each class provides more detailed information.

Remarks

• All Joints have one degree of freedom and lumped inertia, damping and stiffness
• Joint values are in SI units
• Segments are ideal rigid bodies with only inertia.
• Serial Chains and Trees are connections of Segments.
• The Tree class is experimental
• Kinematic and dynamic algorithms (inverse/forward) are documented on Kinematic Solvers

Header files

• joint/segment/chain.hpp
• kinfam_io.hpp: Definition of the input/output operators.

This page summarizes the functionality for kinematic structures: Joint, Segment, Chain and Tree. The API pages of each class provides more detailed information.

Remarks

• All Joints have one degree of freedom and lumped inertia, damping and stiffness
• Joint values are in SI units
• Segments are ideal rigid bodies with only inertia.
• Serial Chains and Trees are connections of Segments.
• The Tree class is experimental
• Kinematic and dynamic algorithms (inverse/forward) are documented on Kinematic Solvers

Header files

• joint/segment/chain.hpp
• kinfam_io.hpp: Definition of the input/output operators.

Kinematic Chain

Skeleton of a serial robot arm with six revolute joints. This is one example of a kinematic structure, reducing the motion modelling and specification to a geometric problem of relative motion of reference frames. The Kinematics and Dynamics Library (KDL) develops an application independent framework for modelling and computation of kinematic chains, such as robots, biomechanical human models, computer-animated figures, machine tools, etc. Click below to read the rest of this post.

Some small examples for usage.

Do not hesitate to add your own small examples.