Mapping, Detection and Handling of Singularities for Kinematically Redundant Serial Manipulators

This paper deals with the singularities of kinematically redundant manipulators in terms of determining the singularity manifolds in configuration space, and detecting/handling singular configurations in a local kinematic planning environment. Using the example of a specific manipulator with 8 degrees of freedom, a systematic method is presented which is generally applicable to the given class of redundant arms. As a part of the method’s principle, the effects of kinematic redundancy on the singularity manifolds are also addressed and explained. Finally, a local motion planning setup is shown where redundancy resolution can be used for singularity avoidance and handling strategies.