Re: Is this a silly idea

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Ray Henry <rehenry@u...>
wrote:

> Tony Hursh wrote:
> >
> > Computer graphics guys avoid the gimbal lock problem by using
> > quaternions rather than Euler transformations. A quick Google
> > show that the International Space Station is using quaternions
> >
> > Maybe quaternions could be applied here?
>
> Thanks for bringing this up. In fact, Till Franitza suggested
> that EMC ought to think about these several years ago. If I
> remember right it went right over most of the heads. I know
> it did mine. But then I'm just one of the EMC loud mouths with
> very little programming skills and even less understanding of
> the logic of it all.

I've used quaternions in the past for graphics programming. They
are an elegant way of dealing with rotations in software. I don't
know if they address the hexapod gimbel lock problem - seems that
is a physical thing and no matter how you calculate it, if you
get the arms into the wrong position, you are stuck.

Right now I'm up to my ears in other stuff, but eventually I will
get to the kinematics parts of emc. When I do I'll dredge up my
old quaternion and 3-D matrix transform code and see if any of it
applies.

John Kasunich