Parallel Robots

[ Information ]

Encyclopedia of Systems and Control, 2015.

[ Authors ]

Frank C. Park 

[ Abstract ]

Parallel robots are closed chains consisting of a fixed and moving platform that are connected by a set of serial chain legs. Parallel robots typically possess both actuated and passive joints and may even be redundantly actuated. Although more structurally complex and possessing a smaller workspace, parallel robots are usually designed to exploit one or more of the natural advantages they possess over their serial counterparts, e.g., higher stiffness, increased positioning accuracy, and higher speeds and accelerations. In this chapter we provide an overview of the kinematic and dynamic modeling of parallel robots, a description of their singularity behavior, and basic methods developed for their control.