Experimental Characterization of a Binary Actuated Parallel Manipulator

This paper describes the BAPAMAN (Binary Actuated Parallel MANipulator) series of parallel manipulators that has been conceived at LARM. Basic common characteristics of BAPAMAN series are described. In particular, it is outlined the use of a reduced number of active degrees of freedom, the use of design solutions with flexural joints and Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators for achieving miniaturization, cost reduction and easy operation features. Given the peculiarities of BAPAMAN architecture, specific experimental tests have been proposed and carried out with the aim to validate the proposed design and to evaluate the practical operation performance and the characteristics of a built prototype, in particular, in terms of operation and workspace characteristics

Stiffness Analysis of a Fully Compliant Spherical Chain with Two Degrees of Freedom

This chapter introduces and investigates a fully compliant spherical chain that is obtained by the in-series connection of two identical primitive spherical flexures with coincident center of spherical motion. The compliance matrix of the proposed chain is obtained via an analytical procedure and validated via finite element analysis. Comparison with an equivalent fully compliant chain employing straight beam hinges is also provided to highlight the added benefits when using primitive spherical flexures