Redundancy resolution through local optimization: A review

Abstract Kinematically redundant manipulator arms and other robotic mechanisms provide a means for solving sophisticated motion tasks but require complex research on both mechanical and control problems. So far, many works have been published on kinematic redundancy, however, a systemization is missing. In this article an attempt for such a systemization is presented. It has been limited to methods for redundancy resolution through local optimization. Until now, these methods are most widely used, and it is expected also that they will prevail in the near future. A classification is suggested and the performance capabilities of the methods are discussed and compared. Two reference tables are provided; One of them lists references for different problems on kinematic redundancy as: mechanical design, dexterity measures, multicriteria optimization, global optimization, control design and computational considerations. The other table displays existing publications classified according to the application area of redundant robotic‐mechanisms.