Optimal Balancing of a 3-RPS Robot Manipulator Using Genetic Algorithm

Optimal balancing is a very important issue in mechanism design and has only recently been introduced to the designing step of robotic mechanisms. In creating the best robot design, the optimal balancing plays a vital role because it reduces the required motor power. To have a more-effective control system, it is very important to eliminate or significantly reduce the gravity load especially at the actuated joints. Tackling of a balancing problem with these objectives, leads to an optimization problem. This paper aims to describe the use of conventional and evolutionary optimization techniques for a 3-RPS parallel manipulator, using Genetic Algorithm (GA). To this end, it is required to find the desired weight for the links, to minimize the force at the actuators. At first the direct and inverse kinematic and dynamic analyses are performed, and then the optimum weight of the robot will be obtained. Afterwards, the optimization model is improved by adding two new elements. Also, a comprehensive user-friendly general-purpose software package is introduced. The methods used in this article can be applied to obtain solutions for a wide range of similar problems without further simplifications.