Static Force Balancing of a 2r1t Parallel Manipulator With Remote Center of Motion

Abstract

Assistive robots in surgical applications should be gravity balanced due to safety considerations. This study presents a gravity balancing solution for a 3-degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator to be used as an endoscope navigation robot for transnasal minimal invasive surgery applications. The manipulator has a rather simple structure that allows individual balancing of the three legs in their respec-tive planes of motion. First, sole counter-mass balancing is investigated, but it is seen that the extra mass amount is too much. Sole spring balancing is not consid-ered as an option due to constructional complexity. A hybrid solution as a combi-nation of counter-mass and spring balancing is devised. In the proposed solution, the masses on the distal links of a leg are balanced with counter-masses so that all masses are lumped to the link connected to the base of the manipulator. Hence the problem is simplified into the balancing of a pendulum. The necessary formula-tions are derived and numerical calculations demonstrate that the hybrid balancing yields a feasible solution.