Rigid Body Kinematics

Rigid Body Transformations

Vijay Kumar

University of

Rigid Body Kinematics

Remark about Notation

Vectors

x, y, a,
Ax
u, v, p, q,

Potential for Confusion!

Matrices

A, B, C,
AA
B

g, h,

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Rigid Body Kinematics

The 3vector a and its 3skew symmetric

matrix counterpart a

a1 b1 a2b3 a3b2
a b a b ab
2 2 3 1 1 3
a3 b3 a2b1 a1b2
a3 a2 b1
0
a3
0
a1 b2

0 b3
a2 a1

a =A

For any vector b

ab = A b

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Rigid Body Kinematics

Rigid Body Transformation

Rigid Body Displacement
R3

g : O R3

O
Rigid Body Motion

g t : O R3

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Rigid Body Kinematics

Coordinate Transformations and Displacements

Transformations of points

Transformation (g) of points induces an action (g*) on vectors

v
q

g (p)
g* (v)
g (q)

What are rigid body transformations? Displacements?

g preserves lengths
g* preserves cross products
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Rigid Body Transformations in R3

z'

Can show that the most general coordinate

transformation from {B} to {A} has the
following form
{A}

P
B P

A P

y'

O'

A O

O
x'
x

position vector of P in {B} is

transformed to position vector of P in
{A}
description of {B} as seen from an
observer in {A}
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r AR B B r P Ar O

A P

Rotation of {B}
with respect to
{A}

Translation of
the origin of {B}
with respect to
origin of {A}
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Rotational transformations in R3
Properties of rotation matrices

Transpose is the inverse

Determinant is +1

Rotations preserve cross products

R u R v = R (u v)

Rotation of skew symmetric matrices

For any rotation matrix R:
R w RT = (R w)

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Rigid Body Kinematics

Example: Rotation

Rotation about the x-axis through

0
0
1
Rot x, 0 cos sin

0 sin cos

z
y

x
Displacement
x
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Example: Rotation
Rotation about the y-axis through

Rotation about the z-axis through

cos 0 sin
Rot y, 0
1
0

sin 0 cos

cos sin 0
Rot z , sin cos 0

0
1
0

x'

z'

x'

y
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y'

Rigid Body Kinematics

Rigid Motion in R3

z'

z'

{B}
z

{A}
P

{A}

B P

y'

O'
A O

A P

A P

B P

A P

O'
A O

y'

y
x'

x'

x
x

r A R B B r P Ar O

A P

Coordinate transformation from {B} to {A}

A P

A R B Ar P Ar O

Displacement of a body-fixed frame from {A} to {B}

The same equation can have two interpretations:

It transforms the position vector of any point in {B} to the position vector in {A}
It transforms the position vector of any point in the first position/orientation (described by
{A}) to its new position vector in the second position orientation (described by{B}).

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Rigid Body Kinematics

Mobile Robots

x
gWR

AR

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cos sin x
sin cos y
0
0
1
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Rigid Body Kinematics

The Lie group SE(3)

SE 3 A

R r
33
3
T
T
,
R

R
,
r

R
,
R
R

RR

0
1
13

http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~meam520/notes02/RigidBodyMotion3.pdf

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Rigid Body Kinematics

SE(3) is a Lie group

SE(3) satisfies the four axioms that must be satisfied by the elements of an
algebraic group:

The set is closed under the binary operation. In other words, if A and B are any two
matrices in SE(3), AB SE(3).

The binary operation is associative. In other words, if A, B, and C are any three matrices
SE(3), then (AB) C = A (BC).

For every element A SE(3), there is an identity element given by the 44 identity matrix,
ISE(3), such that AI = A.

For every element A SE(3), there is an identity inverse, A-1 SE(3), such that A A-1 = I.

SE(3) is a continuous group.

the binary operation above is a continuous operation the product of any two
elements in SE(3) is a continuous function of the two elements

the inverse of any element in SE(3) is a continuous function of that element.

In other words, SE(3) is a differentiable manifold. A group that is a

differentiable manifold is called a Lie group[ Sophus Lie (1842-1899)].
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Composition of Displacements
z'

Displacement from {A} to {B}

A

RB
AB
013

r
,
1

A O'

{A}
y'
O'

Displacement from {B} to {C}

B

RC
AC
013

POSITION 1

B O

r
,
1

AC

RC
0
RB
0

A O

R B B R C
0

z''

O''

x'

1
A O
r

1

{C}

Displacement from {A} to {C}

A

POSITION 2

{B}

x''
y''

POSITION 3

RC
0

B O

R B B r O A r O

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Note XAY describes the

displacement of the body-fixed
frame from {X} to {Y} in
reference frame {X}
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Composition (continued)
z'

Composition of displacements

Displacements are generally described

in a body-fixed frame
Example: BAC is the displacement of a
rigid body from B to C relative to the
axes of the first frame B.

{A}
y'
O'

POSITION 1

Composition of transformations

Same basic idea

AA = AA BA
C
B
C

{C}

POSITION 2

{B}

z''

O''

x'
x
x''

y''

POSITION 3

Note that our description of

transformations (e.g., BAC) is relative
to the first frame (B, the frame with
the leading superscript).
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Note XAY describes the

displacement of the body-fixed
frame from {X} to {Y} in
reference frame {X}
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Rigid Body Kinematics

Subgroups
of SE(3)

Subgroup

Notation

Definition

Significance

The group of
rotations in
three
dimensions

SO(3)

The set of all proper orthogonal

matrices.

All spherical displacements.

Or the set of all displacements
that can be generated by a
spherical joint (S-pair).

Special
Euclidean
group in two
dimensions

SE(2)

SO 3 R R R 3 3 , R T R RR T I

The set of all 33 matrices with the

structure:

cos

sin

rx

All planar displacements. Or

the set of displacements that
can be generated by a planar
pair (E-pair).

sin cos ry
0
0
1
where , rx, and ry are real numbers.
The group of
rotations in
two
dimensions

SO(2)

The set of all 22 proper orthogonal

matrices. They have the structure:

cos sin
sin cos ,

All rotations in the plane, or

the set of all displacements
that can be generated by a
single revolute joint (R-pair).

where is a real number.

The group of
translations in
n dimensions.

T(n)

The set of all n1 real vectors with

vector addition as the binary
operation.

All translations in n
dimensions. n = 2 indicates
planar, n = 3 indicates spatial
displacements.

The group of
translations in
one
dimension.

T(1)

The set of all real numbers with

addition as the binary operation.

All translations parallel to one

axis, or the set of all
displacements that can be
generated by a single
prismatic joint (P-pair).

The group of SO(2)T(1) The Cartesian product of SO(2) and

cylindrical
T(1)
displacements

All rotations in the plane and

translations along an axis
perpendicular to the plane, or
the set of all displacements
that can be generated by a
cylindrical joint (C-pair).

The group of
screw
displacements

All displacements that can be

generated by a helical joint
(H-pair).

H(1)

A one-parameter subgroup of SE(3)

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