In robotics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time, expressed for each joint (joint-space acceleration) or for the robot’s end-effector (task-space acceleration), measured in rad/s² or m/s² respectively. Acceleration profiles govern the dynamic forces and torques that a manipulator must generate, coupling directly into Newton-Euler equations of motion. Limiting acceleration is central to safety (reducing impact forces) and to trajectory smoothness in collaborative applications.
Semantic Classification
Content
-
Acceleration is the second time derivative of position and appears directly in the manipulator equation of motion. In joint space, joint accelerations q̈ combine with the mass-inertia matrix M(q), Coriolis/centrifugal matrix C(q,q̇), and gravity vector g(q) to yield required torques: τ = M(q)q̈ + C(q,q̇)q̇ + g(q). In task space, Cartesian acceleration is obtained by differentiating the Jacobian: ẍ = J(q)q̈ + J̇(q)q̇.
Bounding acceleration is essential in collaborative robot standards. Transient contact force limits that implicitly constrain end-effector acceleration during human-robot contact scenarios were originally specified in ISO/TS 15066:2016 and are now incorporated into ISO 10218-2:2025. Smooth acceleration profiles (trapezoidal, S-curve, jerk-limited) reduce mechanical wear and improve tracking performance during high-speed manipulation; trajectory planners (RB-0051) select profile shapes to satisfy both kinematic and dynamic constraints simultaneously.