Inverse Dynamics Algorithm for Space Robots

Abstract

An efficient algorithm for the inverse dynamics of free-flying space robots, consisting of a serial manipulator mounted on a free-base, e.g., a spacecraft, is presented. The kinematic and dynamic models are based on the concepts of the Primary Body (PB) and the Natural Orthogonal Complement, respectively, reported elsewhere. In this paper, besides the efficiency, the usefulness of the PB in deriving different kinematic models and selecting an efficient one is pointed out. Moreover, it is shown that a recursive algorithm for the inverse dynamics of the space robot at hand can be developed even without the consideration of the momenta conservation principle.