Optimal dimensional synthesis of a dual purpose Haptic exoskeleton

Abstract

This paper presents multi-criteria design optimization of a 3RPS-R parallel mechanism to be employed as a dual purpose haptic exoskeleton for human forearm and wrist. The primary use for the optimized device is aimed as a high fidelity haptic interface, while the exoskeleton can also be employed as a rehabilitation device. Multiple design objectives are discussed and classified for both application scenarios, and optimization problems to study the trade-offs between these criteria are formulated. A general framework for optimization of haptic interfaces is applied to efficiently obtain the Pareto-front hyper-surfaces between conflicting criteria. Optimal dimensional synthesis of the dual purpose haptic exoskeleton is demonstrated. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.