NURBs for Robot Manipulator Trajectory Generation

摘要

Modern applications of automation and robotic technologies require increasingly sophisticated control systems. One of the areas in which the control of these robotic systems can be improved is the generation of motion trajectories. We demonstrate that Non-Uniform Rational B-splines (NURBs) can be successfully adapted for use in producing trajectories for 6-DOF manipulators. We also discuss a methodology for fitting such splines to arbitrary geometries allowing for the generation of paths in cases where it is difficult or impossible to do so using less sophisticated methods. We demonstrate these techniques in simulation, where they are applied to a pair of complex industrial tasks. Several important properties of NURBs which offer advantages not present in other methods are also discussed. We conclude by discussing the future research needed to bring this technique to maturity, and potential opportunities that may be realized in its adoption.