Robotic Weightlifter Tutorial
In this tutorial we will use a simulator that will help you to
understand the trigonometric model behind the robotic weightlifter
presented in Chapter 11.
Simulation
We will be using a weightlifting simulation throughout this tutorial.
You can start it by clicking on the following button.
The simulator displays an idealized robotic weightlifter:
- The red lines represent the rigid body parts (the shin, thigh,
and torso).
- The blue angles are alpha, beta, and gamma from Figure 11.2 of
the text.
- The green angles are the knee and hip angles. (The ankle angle
is always the same as alpha.)
- The horizontal lines show the y-coordinates of the knee, hip, and
shoulder.
- The vertical lines show the x-coordinates of the hip,
ankle/shoulder, and knee. (The x-coordinates of the ankle and
shoulder are always zero.)
You can animate the weightlifting action by modifying the knee angle
using the control at the top and then selecting Lift from the
Robot menu. During the animation, you can watch the angle
and coordinate values change.
Experiment with the simulation to get a better understanding of the
geometry and trigonometry behind the model.
Last modified 31Oct96.