ScholarlyCommons

Title

The Huges Array Co-Processor and Its Application to Robotics

Author(s)

Craig Sayers, University of Pennsylvania

Document Type

Technical Report

Date of this Version

February 1991

Comments

University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MS-CIS-91-17.

Abstract

This report describes the results of twelve months research involving the Hughes array co-processor. This work began with the testing and debugging of the existing system, continued with the development of software to interface the co-processor to a host machine and concluded with the implementation of a trajectory planning algorithm for redundant manipulators.

A loader program has been developed which allows simple programs to be executed. A library of C-callable routines has also been created and this enables the fabrication of more complex systems which require a high level of interaction between the host and co-processor.

Routines to perform square root, sine and cosine functions have been designed and these have been used successfully in the development of a trajectory planning algorithm. This algorithm uses the co-processor to compute in parallel a large number of forward kinematics solutions and by doing so is able to convert a cartesian space trajectory into a joint space path for a redundant manipulator.

The performance of the processor has been analyzed and a number of recommendations have been made concerning future implementations.

Recommended Citation

Craig Sayers, "The Huges Array Co-Processor and Its Application to Robotics", . February 1991.