Another map from \(\mathbb{P}^7\) to the study quadric (Q1986122)

The Study quadric \(Q_S \subset \mathbb{P}^7\) is a well-known compactification of the group \(\operatorname{SE}(3)\) of rigid body displacements in a low-dimensional ambient space. Its non-linearity prevents direct transfer of curve design algorithms from CAGD to motion design. Hence, several authors have tried to endow points in \(\mathbb{P}^7 \setminus Q_S\) with kinematic meaning. One way of doing this is to have points outside the Study quadric represent elements of larger transformation groups, for example \(\operatorname{SE}(4)\) or the similarity group of Euclidean three space. A second way is pursued by the author in this paper: He proposes an algebraic map from \(\mathbb{P}^7\) to~\(Q_S\). It is characterized as composition of the Cayley map based on the standard \(4 \times 4\) matrix representation of \(\operatorname{SE}(3)\) with the inverse of the Cayley map's extension to the whole space \(\mathbb{P}^7\). A similar characterization based on the Cayley map of the \(6 \times 6\) adjoint representation of \(\operatorname{SE}(3)\) has been given in [\textit{J. M. Selig} et al., ``Motion interpolation in Lie subgroups and symmetric subspaces.'' in: Computational kinematics. Cham: Springer Verlag. 467--474 (2018)] for a map from \(\mathbb{P}^7 \to Q_S\) proposed in [\textit{M. Pfurner} et al., ``Path planning in kinematic image space without the study condition'', in: Advances in robot kinematics 2016. 285--292 (2018)]. These two maps behave differently with respect to straight lines: While the earlier proposed map produces a cubic curve, the second produces a conic. However, the trajectories of the former motion are of degree two while those of the latter are of degree three. Both maps preserve algebraic subgroups and algebraic symmetric subspaces of \(\operatorname{SE}(3)\).