Animated Lectures: Mobility of Mechanisms and Robot Manipulators
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Despite numerous outstanding publications on mechanism mobility, many nuances of this topic remain challenging for students and are often discussed only among specialist researchers. These animated lectures, supported by the textbook Mobility of Mechanisms and Robot Manipulators, aim to clarify and make more accessible the concepts related to degrees of freedom in mechanical systems and the methods used to determine them.
The series presents techniques for calculating mobility across several categories: Regular mechanisms (isostatic systems, both spatial and planar, including open and closed kinematic chains); Hybrid mechanisms; Robot manipulators; Mechanisms with idle (passive) degrees of freedom; Overconstrained mechanisms.
Special attention is given to overconstrained mechanisms, analyzed through a table representing the rank of the velocity matrix of a kinematic chain as a function of the arrangement of kinematic pairs.
The final lecture examines Assur groups with zero mobility, structural synthesis of mechanisms based on the Chebyshev–Grübler–Kutzbach mobility criterion, and the effects of singular configurations on mechanical system mobility.
To reinforce understanding, practical examples are emphasized throughout. The third lecture encourages students to apply their knowledge by solving over 100 exercises from the textbook, each accompanied by a detailed solution and commentary.
It is hoped that these lectures will serve as a valuable resource not only for mechanical engineering students, but also for doctoral candidates and early-career faculty members seeking a deeper grasp of mechanism mobility.
Contact: mechanisms.rennes@gmail.com