An alternative method for manipulator kinetic analysis-the D´Alembert method

The method presented can be applied to both closed-chain and open-chain manipulators. It is proved to be more computationally efficient that the conventional Newton-Euler method in inverse manipulator kinetics analysis. The improvement in computational efficiency is due to two factors: First, the method takes advantage of the special geometry of the positioning mechanism of most manipulators. That is, the majority of joint axes are parallel to one another and those few which are not, are perpendicular to the majority of axes. Second, the method uses longitudinal and transverse force components at certain joints. Two examples, one closed-chain and one open-chain, are used as illustrations