Development of the zlatanov-gosselin robotic system

Abstract

This article reports our developmental effort of a parallel manipulator. The unique design and features of the mechanism such as ability to function effectively within 4 degrees of freedom (DOF) comparable to 6 DOF of equivalent mechanisms attracted us when we reviewed literatures. Using information found in literatures by Zlatanov and Gosselin, in 2005, we succeeded in producing the mechanism but crudely fabricated. In 2006, we redesigned the mechanism using a Commercial solid modeling software and came up with an improved design. However, a thorough investigation onto the design had yield to another redesign process where further improvements were made. Eventually, in 2007, a newer prototype was developed. Within this article We discuss improvements made in reference to our first attempt in the mechanism design and development. The findings indicate that the system has a good prospect for commercialization.