Parallel Continuum Delta: On the Performance Analysis of Flexible Quasi-Translational Robots

In the field of rigid parallel manipulators, the Delta parallel robot is one of the most popular choices in the industry due to its ability to adapt to a wide range of applications, particularly pick-and-place tasks. In this paper, the authors present novel designs of Delta-type continuum parallel manipulators with flexible bars, solving both their direct and inverse kinematics, as well as obtaining the associated workspace. The continuum parallel manipulators, unlike conventional robots, incorporate certain flexible elements, such as slender rods that make up the kinematic chains of the Delta manipulators proposed in this work. As a consequence of the flexibility of these rods, a purely translational movement will not be generated, since it is necessary to analyze the zones of the workspace where a parasitic motion related to the inclination of the moving platform compromises the task devised. In addition, an experimental prototype of the Keops-Delta continuum manipulator has been built, and several experimental tests have been carried out to validate the proposed theoretical model.