An Analytical Formulation for the Geometrico-Static Problem of Continuum Planar Parallel Robots

In this paper, we provide an analytical formulation for the geometrico-static problem of continuum planar parallel robots. This formulation provides to an analytical computation of a set of equations governing the equilibrium configurations. We also introduce a stability criterion of the computed configurations. This formulation is based on the use of Kirchhoff’s rod deformation theory and finite-difference approximations. Their combination leads to a quadratic expression of the rod’s deformation energy. Equilibrium configurations of a planar parallel robot composed of two hinged flexible rods are computed according to this new formulation and compared with the ones obtained with state-of-the-art approaches. By assessing equilibrium stability with the proposed technique, new unstable configurations are determined.