The kinematics of a new reconfigurable parallel robot with six degrees of freedom

Abstract

The paper presents a new parallel reconfigurable robot with six degrees of freedom actuated from the fixed platform by six linear motors disposed in three guiding kinematic chains. With the help of fasteners, the robot can be reconfigured in one with five, four, three or two degrees of freedom. The equations for the determination of the inverse and direct kinematic models are presented. The robot is suitable for assembly and milling operations and can be also used as a module in a minimally invasive surgical system. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013.