Inverse kinematics is a subdomain of kinematics

Kinematics

Kinematics is the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of bodies and systems without consideration of the forces that cause the motion....

, which is of particular interest in robotics

Robotics

Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...

 and (interactive) computer animation

Computer animation

Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....

. In contrast to forward kinematics

Forward kinematics

Forward kinematics is computation of the position and orientation of robot's end effector as a function of its joint angles. It is widely used in robotics, computer games, and animation. The reverse process is known as inverse kinematics....

, which calculates the position of a body after a series of motions, inverse kinematics calculates the motions necessary to achieve a desired position.

Examples of problems that can be solved through inverse kinematics are: How does a robot

Robot

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

's arm need to be moved to be able to pick up a specific object? What are the motions required to make it look like an animated character

Character

- Art and entertainment :* Character , an agent in a work of art, including literature, drama, cinema, opera, etc.* Character , a 1997 Dutch film, based on the novel by Dutch author Ferdinand Bordewijk* Character , by Dark Tranquillity...

 is picking up an object?

Solving these problems is usually more involved than simply moving an object from one location to another.