New index of serial-link manipulator-performance combining dynamic manipulability and manipulating force ellisoids

The inertia matching ellipsoid (IME) is proposed as a new index of dynamic performance for serial-link robotic manipulators. The IME integrates the existing dynamic manipulability and manipulating-force ellipsoids to achieve an accurate measure of the dynamic torque-force transmission efficiency between the joint torque and the force applied to a load held by an end-effector. The dynamic manipulability and manipulating-force ellipsoids can both be derived from the IME as limiting forms, with respect to the weight of the load. The effectiveness of the IME is demonstrated numerically through the selection of an optimal leg posture for jumping robots and optimal active stiffness control, and experimentally through application to a pick-up task using a commercial manipulator. The index is also extended theoretically to the case of a manipulator mounted on a free-flying satellite.