Dynamics of Nonholonomic Mechanical Systems Using a Natural Orthogonal Complement

Abstract

The dynamics equations governing the motion of mechanical systems composed of rigid bodies coupled by holonomic and nonholonomic constraints are derived. The underlying method is based on a natural orthogonal complement of the matrix associated with the velocity constraint equations written in linear homogeneous form. The method is applied to the classical example of a rolling disk and an application to a 2-dof Automatic Guided Vehicle is outlined.