» BOOKSHELF

I EEE Control Systems Magazine welcomes suggestions for

books to be reviewed in this column. Please contact either Modern Robotics offers a
Scott R. Ploen, Hong Yue, or Hesuan Hu, the associate editors,
for book reviews. comprehensive contemporary
approach to the modeling and
MODERN ROBOTICS: control of robotic mechanisms.
MECHANICS, PLANNING,
AND CONTROL
by KEVIN M. LYNCH and
FRANK C. PARK
this book that concepts from Lie group theory (which form
the building blocks of modern kinematics) are presented in
Reviewed by Andreas Müller a way that will appeal to undergraduate students as well
as to researchers and roboticists in general. The reader

R
obotics is a steadily evolv- is given the necessary tools to model the kinematics and
i n g f i e ld t h at m e r g e s dynamics of a robot, plan its motion, and control it. These
ideas and methods from are the features that distinguish this book from other excel-
many different disciplines. A lent references in the area of advanced modeling and con-
look at the table of contents of trol of robotic systems [3]–[7].
Cambridge University
Press, 2017, the Handbook of Robotics [1], for
ISBN: 978-1-107-15630-2, instance, immediately shows CONTENTS
544 pages, US$75.99. that there is a well-established This well-structured book contains four complementary
framework for almost all topics parts that are mostly independent. The first and central part
in robotics. Yet, as it often occurs in science and engineer- consists of Chapters 2–8, where the foundations of kinemat-
ing, a more holistic view opens up when classical meth- ics and dynamics of robotic mechanisms are addressed.
ods from different fields are combined. This happened in Chapters 9–11 constitute the second part, addressing trajec-
1993, when Roger Brockett used a concept from Lie group tory and motion planning and the control of robotic manip-
theory and introduced the product-of-exponentials formu- ulators. The third part consists of Chapter 12 on grasping
la for modeling the kinematics of a robotic arm [2]. Over and object manipulation. The final chapter, on mobile manip-
the years, a significant amount of research was conduct- ulators, constitutes the fourth part.
ed that led to a completely new approach for formulating Chapter 1 gives a brief introduction to the overall theme of
robot kinematics and dynamics based on Lie groups. For the book and provides a concise overview of the subsequent
some time, this approach was deemed too complicated to chapters. In Chapter 2, the authors discuss the configuration
be taught in undergraduate robotics classes. However, this space of a general robot as a foundational concept applicable
book by Lynch and Park should change the conventional to all robotic arms and mobile platforms. This chapter sets
wisdom on this issue. the tone for the entire book by emphasizing a mathematically
Modern Robotics is not just another undergraduate text- rigorous treatment of the material without sacrificing read-
book on robotics. It offers a comprehensive contemporary ability. Familiar concepts such as joints, links, and degrees of
approach to the modeling and control of robotic mecha- freedom are used to introduce the reader to the concepts of
nisms. Methods and algorithms for modeling; motion plan- coordinate charts and topological manifolds.
ning; and control of serial, parallel, and mobile robots are Chapter 3 deals with spatial motions of rigid bodies.
introduced along with a thorough (yet accessible) treatment Here the special Euclidean group SE(3) is introduced as the
of the geometry of motion. It is the pedagogical strength of Lie group, consisting of homogenous transformation matri-
ces (representing the pose of a rigid body) along with spatial
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MCS.2019.2937265 rigid-body velocities for describing time derivatives of
Date of current version: 13 November 2019 homogenous matrices. This approach leads naturally to the

100 IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE » DECEMBER 2019 1066-033X/19©2019IEEE

introduction of the exponential mapping. The use of expo-
nential coordinates is discussed by means of several exam- This well-written book provides
ples highlighting the beauty and simplicity of this formulation.
This chapter concludes by introducing wrenches as dual a timely reference that is
objects to spatial velocities.
The full advantage of the product-of-exponentials for- easily accessible to
mula for formulating the (position) forward kinematics of
serial robots is given in Chapter 4. A number of instructive undergraduate students.
practical examples of kinematic models of specific commer-
cial robots are given. As one would expect from a book on
modern robotics, issues related to software implementation
(for example, the Universal Robot Description Format for kinematics and dynamics based on the geometry of rigid
describing the kinematics, mass properties, and link geom- body motions. Upon completion of the first seven chapters,
etry of a robot) are also described. the reader will be equipped with a powerful set of tools for
In Chapter 5, the velocity forward kinematics problem is performing kinematic and dynamic analysis.
introduced, and the forward kinematics Jacobian is derived After a summary of standard motion profiles and their
via the product-of-exponentials formula. The Jacobian is parameterization, the dynamic formulation developed in
then used to analyze fundamental properties of a serial Chapter 8 is used in Chapter 9 for trajectory generation.
robot including its kinematic and static transmission prop- Time-optimal, point-to-point motions as well as time-opti-
erties, various manipulability and dexterity measures, and mal path following are addressed using time scaling.
the existence of kinematic singularities. The inverse kine- Chapter 10 provides a practical overview of a few
matics of serial robots is addressed in Chapter 6. The prob- common techniques for motion planning. Graphs and trees
lem of nonunique solutions is discussed. An analytic to represent an obstacle-free space are introduced. The
solution is derived for a specific 6-R PUMA-type arm, and A* search algorithm is presented, and other search meth-
numerical algorithms for solving the inverse kinematics ods are briefly discussed. Complete path planners, grid
problem are also covered. methods, and sampling methods (such as the rapidly
The kinematics of closed chains, in particular of parallel exploring random tree algorithm) are also introduced.
manipulators, is the topic of Chapter 7. The inverse and for- The method of virtual potential fields is discussed as a
ward kinematics problem is stated for general parallel way to represent obstacles. Nonlinear optimization meth-
manipulators. The classical Stewart–Gough platform is ods are briefly mentioned.
used as an example. The important issue of singularities is Robot control is the subject of Chapter 11. A single-joint
discussed in detail. robot is used as a guiding example to introduce the reader
Chapter 8 is dedicated to the dynamics of open chains. to the topic of motion control. Feedforward and feedback
Lagrange’s equations for open kinematic chains are first control schemes are introduced emphasizing their perfor-
derived, and properties of the mass matrix are discussed mance and stability. The control of general multijoint robots
in relation to model-based control schemes. A comparison in both joint and task space are then presented. This dis-
of the Lagrangian formulation (starting from energy prin- cussion is complemented by a discussion of motion control
ciples) with the Newton–Euler formulation (starting from methods utilizing torque or force inputs. The chapter con-
the momentum balance of the individual bodies) serves cludes with an overview of force control, hybrid motion-
as motivation for using the Newton–Euler formulation. force control, and impedance-based control methods.
The Newton–Euler equations for a single rigid body are In many applications, objects have to be grasped and
derived and used to formulate an inverse dynamics algo- manipulated. This is the topic of Chapter 12, focusing on
rithm expressed using spatial rigid-body velocities and object manipulation by means of form-closure and force-
Lie group notation. The reader will immediately appreci- closure grasps. Contact kinematics and the role of friction
ate the compactness and simplicity achieved by using the are also covered.
Lie group approach. This simplicity is inherited by the Chapter 13 is about wheeled mobile robots. Vehicles with
structure of the closed-form equations of motion. After a omnidirectional wheels and classical wheels (car-like mobile
short excursion into the numerical forward dynamics robots) are addressed. Topics such as accessibility and the
problem of open chains, a task-space formulation of the classical controllability Lie algebra rank condition are devel-
equations of motion is given. The dynamics of systems oped. Here again, the systematic treatment of these topics
subject to holonomic and nonholonomic constraints are based on the geometry of motion allows the reader to develop
then discussed. The chapter closes with a section on dc deeper insight into abstract controllability concepts. Motion-
motors, gearing, and friction modeling. planning strategies for systems with and without obstacles
The common framework of the first part of this book is are presented. This chapter concludes with sections on
the development of a consistent representation of robot odometry and mobile manipulation.

DECEMBER 2019  «  IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE  101

 Each chapter has a set of well-conceived exercises and a mechanics (with honors) from the University of Technol-
short summary at the end, which allows for easy reference. ogy, Chemnitz, Germany in 2001 and 2004, respectively.
An appendix summarizing the key results ensures that the He received the Habilitation in mechanics from Univer-
book can be read without the need to resort to secondary sity Duisburg-Essen, Germany, in 2008. He is currently
texts. The appendix also covers the Denavit–Hartenberg a full professor in robotics at the Johannes Kepler Univer-
parameters as well as other various parameterizations of sity, Linz, Austria. His current research interests include
the rotation group. holistic modeling, model-based and optimal control
of mechatronic systems, mechanism theory, geometric
SUMMARY mechanics, redundant robotic systems, parallel kinemat-
In summary, this well-written book provides a timely ref- ic machines, biomechanics, and computational dynam-
erence that is easily accessible to undergraduate students. ics. He served as an associate editor of various journals,
With its consolidated modern approach, Modern Robotics is including IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Robotics and
destined to become a classic in the field. Automation Letters, ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics,
Another unique feature of the book is the availabil- Mechanism Machine Theory, and Meccanica.
ity of Matlab code implementing much of the theory. For
example, the reader will be immediately able to utilize the
REFERENCES
product-of-exponentials formula, symbolically derive the [1] G. Siciliano and O. Khatib, Eds., Springer Handbook of Robotics, 2nd ed.
equations of motion, and perform path planning. These New York: Springer-Verlag, 2016.
Matlab routines are ideal building blocks for facilitating [2] R. W. Brockett, “Robotic manipulators and the product of exponentials
formula,” in Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems, P. A. Fuhrman,
the development of end-to-end simulations as part of an Ed. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1984.
integrated robotics course. [3] J. Angeles, Fundamentals of Robotic Mechanical Systems, 2nd ed. New York:
Springer-Verlag, 2003.
[4] D. Chevallier and J. Lerbet, Multi-Body Kinematics and Dynamics with Lie
REVIEWER INFORMATION Groups. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier, 2017.
Andreas Müller ([email protected]) received the Diploma [5] R. Featherstone, Rigid Body Dynamics Algorithms. New York: Springer-
degree in mathematics from the University of Applied Sci- Verlag, 2008.
[6] R. M. Murray, Z. Li, and S. S. Sastry, A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic
ences, Mittweida, Germany, in 1997 and the Diploma de- Manipulation. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1994.
gree in mechanical engineering, and the Ph.D. degree in [7] J. Selig, Geometric Fundamentals of Robotics. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2005.

Book Announcements

Analysis and Design for This book also presents several high-performance control
Networked Teleoperation schemes for teleoperation systems with and without veloc-
System ity measurements and for systems with nonlinear inputs.
The results presented here should be of interest to research-
by C. HUA, Y. YANG,
X. YANG, and X. GUAN
ers and students in robotic control theory, nonlinear control
theory, and networked control system theory.
This book presents results on
stability analysis and control
design of networked teleop-
eration systems. It overviews
commonly encountered non-
linear teleoperation systems, Analytical Design of PID Controllers
including the stability analy- by I.D. DÍAZ-RODRÍGUEZ, S. HAN, and S.P. BHATTACHARYYA
Springer, 2019,
sis of teleoperation systems
ISBN: 978-981-13-7935-2,
247 pages, US$149.99. with asymmetric time-varying This monograph presents a new analytical approach to
delays and interval time delays. the desig n of proportional-integral-derivative (PID)
controllers for linear time-invariant plants. The authors
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MCS.2019.2938048 develop a computer-aided procedure to synthesize PID
Date of current version: 13 November 2019 controllers that satisfy multiple design specifications.

102 IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE » DECEMBER 2019