A 7-DOF redundantly actuated parallel haptic device combining 6-DOF manipulation and 1-DOF grasping

Abstract

Parallel manipulators are often used in haptic applications since they usually offer higher stiffness and lower inertia than their serial counterparts. However, classical parallel haptic devices generally do not provide grasping capabilities since all their motors are located at the base. This article presents a new 7-DOF robotic architecture, which has the particularity of providing 1-DOF grasping in addition to 6-DOF manipulation while all actuators are located at the base. This is possible thanks to the use of a novel configurable platform that replaces the single rigid body normally used as end-effector in conventional parallel manipulators. The grasping capability of this haptic device is part of the mechanical architecture itself and can be fully controlled from base-located motors. In this article, the architecture, kinematic analysis, kinematic performance, design, and implementation of the novel 7-DOF parallel haptic device are described.