Which statement best describes forward kinematics in a robotic manipulator?

Which statement best describes forward kinematics in a robotic manipulator?

• A. End-effector pose from joint angles
• B. Joint angles from end-effector pose
• C. Kinematic chain length from torque values
• D. End-effector velocity from joint angles

Answer: (A)

Forward kinematics determines where the end-effector is and how it’s oriented, given the robot’s joint angles (and link lengths). It maps from joint space to Cartesian space, so the end-effector pose is found from the joint configuration. That’s why describing forward kinematics as end-effector pose from joint angles is the best fit. The other ideas mix in inverse kinematics (finding joint angles from a known pose), or relate to forces (torque) or to rates of motion (velocity via the Jacobian), which are not the standard static pose calculation of forward kinematics.

Forward kinematics determines where the end-effector is and how it’s oriented, given the robot’s joint angles (and link lengths). It maps from joint space to Cartesian space, so the end-effector pose is found from the joint configuration. That’s why describing forward kinematics as end-effector pose from joint angles is the best fit. The other ideas mix in inverse kinematics (finding joint angles from a known pose), or relate to forces (torque) or to rates of motion (velocity via the Jacobian), which are not the standard static pose calculation of forward kinematics.