Math & Kinematics

End-Effector Pose

End-Effector Pose is the position and orientation of a manipulator's tool frame relative to a reference frame, an element of the group SE(3) with six degrees of freedom. It is computed from joint angles via forward kinematics and realized from a target via inverse kinematics, with orientation represented by rotation matrices, quaternions, or axis-angle forms. Pose accuracy depends on kinematic calibration and joint sensing.

Why it matters for physical AI

Cartesian end-effector poses and velocities are the most common action space for learned manipulation policies, chosen because they transfer across arms with different kinematics far better than joint-space actions.