Question
How do you represent a multi-link robot manipulator in MATLAB? This guide explains how to model robot links and joints, define their kinematic parameters, calculate forward kinematics, and visualize the manipulator using MATLAB and Robotics System Toolbox.
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Expert Answer
Neeta Dsouza
PhD Expert
Answered Aug 20, 2026
You use the rigidBodyTree object. You can create it manually by defining rigid bodies and joint connections, or import it directly from a URDF (Unified Robot Description Format) file.
MATLAB code
% Importing an existing robot model from URDF
robot = importrobot('universalUR5.urdf');
robot.DataFormat = 'row';
% Display robot structure in the command window
showdetails(robot);
% Visualize the robot in 3D
show(robot);
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