Inverse Kinematics Techniques in Computer Graphics: A Survey

Abstract

Inverse kinematics (IK) is the use of kinematic equations to determine the joint parameters of a manipulator so that the end effector moves to a desired position; IK can be applied in many areas, including robotics, engineering, computer graphics and video games. In this survey, we present a comprehensive review of the IK problem and the solutions developed over the years from the computer graphics point of view. The paper starts with the definition of forward and IK, their mathematical formulations and explains how to distinguish the unsolvable cases, indicating when a solution is available. The IK literature in this report is divided into four main categories: the analytical, the numerical, the data‐driven and the hybrid methods. A timeline illustrating key methods is presented, explaining how the IK approaches have progressed over the years. The most popular IK methods are discussed with regard to their performance, computational cost and the smoothness of their resulting postures, while we suggest which IK family of solvers is best suited for particular problems. Finally, we indicate the limitations of the current IK methodologies and propose future research directions.

Robotic grasp detection based on image processing and random forest

“…For solving the inverse kinematics problem, there are three main solutions that are numerical, analytical and approximating. Aristidou et al [1] introduced that numerical methods tried to attain qualified solutions through iterations while analytical methods wanted to find all satisfied solution through a mapping function. Maciejewski and Klein [21] solved the inverse kinematics of kinematically redundant manipulator through approximate solutions.…”

Tangent-space optimization for interactive animation control

“…Despite being the most common approach for authoring motions, it provides a very indirect control on interpolations where animators cannot specify positional constraints. IK controllers, which have been widely studied in computer graphics and robotics research [Aristidou et al 2018], allow xing the position of some end eectors at keyframes, which are then interpolated to generate the motion. However, IK based interpolation requires having a xed constraint conguration (xed bases and end eectors), leads to inferior linear interpolations of positions compared to artistic arcs that naturally arise when interpolating angles, and leaves animators with the dicult choice of when to switch between IK and FK for interpolation.…”

Inverse Kinematics with Forward Dynamics Solvers for Sampled Motion Tracking

“…See e.g. [1] for an overview. Among the fastest approaches are closed form solutions, which are analytically derived solutions, specifically tailored for each robot kinematics.…”