Term - Degree of Freedom
From VEX Wiki
A degree of freedom is the ability to move in a single independent direction of motion. To be able to move in multiple directions is to have multiple degrees of freedom. Moving up and down is one degree of freedom; moving right and left is another; and the ability to move up and down and right to left requires two degrees of freedom. The three basic types of degrees of freedom are as follows:
- The degree of freedom in which a robot's arm can rotate about an axis parallel to the arm. The human wrist has this degree of freedom. Imagine placing your arm straight out in front of you and holding a pencil in your fist so it is parallel to the floor (horizontal). Twist your wrist so that the pencil is pointed straight up at the ceiling (vertical). This twisting is one degree of freedom.
- The degree of freedom that is a linear movement. In this case, a component of a robot can slide in and out (or up and down or left and right). An elevator shows this linear degree of freedom (moving up and down), as does a common desk drawer (moving in and out).
- The degree of freedom in which a robot's arm can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the arm. The human elbow illustrates this degree of freedom. This rotating joint is the focus of this unit.
As an exercise, see if you can determine how many degrees of freedom the human arm has. Hint: Some of the joints have multiple degrees of freedom.
