Deployable tension-strut structures: Concept, structural behaviour and implementation

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

APPROXIMATE GROBNER BASES A BACKWARDS APPROACH

The main result of this thesis is to give a method for approximating the Grobner basis of an approximate polynomial system. The Grobner basis of a polynomial system is arguably the most fundamental object of exact computation polynomial algebra, as it answers many of the important questions of commutative algebra, such as ideal membership and computation of the Hilbert polynomial. It is traditionally computed using variants of Buchberger’s algorithm. Here, we take a backwards approach, and show that a Grobner basis can be computed using the Hilbert polynomial and another important basis from the jet theory of partial differential equations: an involutive basis. This direction, motivated by approximate systems, will allow us to avoid the strict monomial orderings and ordered elimination (reduction) strategies, at the heart of Buchberger-type methods, which are usually numerically unstable. For the the computation of exact bases for an ideal near to the one from which we began, we make avid use of structured (numerical) linear algebra. Additionally, we introduce approximate leading terms and an approximate reduced row echelon form. Neither of these require Gaussian elimination, unlike the exact case

Parallel Manipulators

In recent years, parallel kinematics mechanisms have attracted a lot of attention from the academic and industrial communities due to potential applications not only as robot manipulators but also as machine tools. Generally, the criteria used to compare the performance of traditional serial robots and parallel robots are the workspace, the ratio between the payload and the robot mass, accuracy, and dynamic behaviour. In addition to the reduced coupling effect between joints, parallel robots bring the benefits of much higher payload-robot mass ratios, superior accuracy and greater stiffness; qualities which lead to better dynamic performance. The main drawback with parallel robots is the relatively small workspace. A great deal of research on parallel robots has been carried out worldwide, and a large number of parallel mechanism systems have been built for various applications, such as remote handling, machine tools, medical robots, simulators, micro-robots, and humanoid robots. This book opens a window to exceptional research and development work on parallel mechanisms contributed by authors from around the world. Through this window the reader can get a good view of current parallel robot research and applications