Basic kinematic characteristics of humanoid manipulators

One of the most attractive targets in the recent development of industrial and service robotics is the so-called humanoid robot. In this article, we present some kinematic properties of a humanoid manipulator that we obtained by utilizing different kinematic models and simulations of the human arm. We describe and evaluate the proportions of the arm, its reachability and workspace geometry, the manipulability and velocity-torque capability, and the self-motion ability of the manipulator in executing the task of positioning. We demonstrate that these properties can increase the performance and flexibility of robot manipulators. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Lab Robotics and Automation 11: 272–278, 1999