THE MECHANICAL DESIGN OF A 7-AXES MANIPULATOR WITH KINEMATIC ISOTROPY

Discussed in this paper are the issues underlying the mechanical desig n of a seven-axes isotropic manipulator. The kinematic design of this manipulator was made based on one main criterion, namely, accuracy. Th us, the main issue determining the underlying architecture, defined by its Hartenberg-Denavit (HD) parameters, was the optimization of its k inematic conditioning. This main criterion led not to one set of HD pa rameters, but rather to a manifold of these sets, which allowed the in corporation of further requirements, such as structural behavior, work space considerations and functionality properties. These requirements in turn allowed the determination of the link shapes and the selection of actuators. The detailed mechanical design led to heuristic rules t hat helped in the decision-making process in defining issues such as l ink sub-assemblies and motor location along the joint axes.