This paper sets forth an approach to robotic kinematics that brings together the use of matrix exponentiation and dual numbers. Working from first principles, it is shown that a screw displacement can be represented by the exponential of a dual skew-symmetric matrix; a product of two such matri ces will suffice to specify the relationship between a pair of link coordinate frames. An example problem, dealing with the kinematics of the Rhino XR-2, illustrates how the approach immediately identifies those groups of joint variables that tend to cluster together.
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