Measurement of the inertia tensor: an experimental proposal

Abstract The presence of robots in advanced automated processes relies on the use of end-effectors capable of picking up and manipulating objects with different geometrical and mechanical characteristics. The position of the centre of mass and the inertia tensor are some of the parameters necessary for the design of gripping devices and especially for a dynamic study of manipulation. This paper describes the experimental setup used to measure the inertia tensor and the position of the centre of mass of unpredefined objects. The unit employed is equipped with transducers and accelerometers, and is capable of recording the dynamic response of an unpredefined object to a known motion. The data are acquired by means of a multiprogrammer and are then processed by a personal computer. The computer thus provides the components of the principal tensor of inertia, the direction cosines of the principal reference frame with respect to a predefined barycentric system, and the position of the centre of mass. After defining the measurement set the experimental unit relied on, the paper goes on to present the expressions for the measurement errors made in estimating the parameters considered.