Creative Design of Parallel Manipulators with Multiple Operation Modes

The changing environment and variable tasks in manufacturing, packaging and food industries require the development of low-cost and reconfigurable manipulators which is critical for rapid change-over. This becomes even more important in the current economical crisis and may contribute to reviving manufacturing as pledged by the UK government. The project - creative design of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes - is proposed to meet such needs. Parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes belong to a novel family of reconfigurable manipulators, which may adapt to changing environment and production requirement like a transformer and have the characteristics of parallel manipulators, which have a multi-arm like structure rather than the single-arm like structures of tranditional industrial manipulators. Despite the recent advances in reconfigurable manipulators and parallel manipulators, the research on reconfigurable parallel manipulators is still in its fantacy. This project aims at exploring the creative design of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes. Unlike the reconfigurable manipulators proposed so far, parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes need fewer actuators and do not require disassembly for reconfiguration. Recently, we have obtained a family of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes which can be used to control the planar motions along three orthogonal planes. In our design, only three actuators are needed, while at least six actuators are needed if the current industrial manipulators are used to carry out the same task. This project will lead to the development of a general framework for the design of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes. Two issues will be addressed: a) how to invent parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes, and b) how to reconfigure the parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes. This research will develop a systematic approach and a framework for the design of innovative parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes based on the advances in mechanisms and machine science, robotics, mathematics and control. A prototype will be built to corroborate and validate the proposed approaches using advanced modelling, CAD (computer-aided-design), rapid prototyping and control technologies. This research will benefit the academic community in the fields of mechanisms, robotics and automation, mechatronics and product design and may be further extended to biomedical research such as protein folding and misfolding. It will also benefit users from all industry sectors who will have improved productivity and better products. Further research may lead to low-cost and energy efficient manipulators.

This project is to explore a novel family of reconfigurable manipulators - parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes. Unlike the reconfigurable parallel manipulators proposed so far, parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes need fewer actuators and do not require disassembly for reconfiguration. Manufacture, food and packaging industries, such as Caley Automation Ltd, will benefit from the results of this research. The potential benefits include: reduced development time for packaging/assembly lines, improved productivity and competitiveness by developing adaptive packaging/assembly lines and /or innovative multi-functional products. The research outcome may also help attract R&D investment from global businesses The proposed study is fundamental in nature yet can be directly commercially exploitable. A patent is expected to be filed based on the results of this project. The research outcome may help to improve the competitiveness of existing businesses and attract R&D investment from global business including Parallel Robotics Systems USA, which was reported in NASA Tech Briefs in June 2008, and Simplex CNC Systems Australia, which is the developer of world's first innovative swivel head of 5-axis CNC machines based on parallel manipulator with bi-operation mode. The research outcome will be disseminated mainly through high quality journal publications and conference presentations by the PI and RA, which are complimented by lectures at international summer school and workshops as well as invited talks by the PI. In addition, the PI will also work with Corporate Communication and Marketing staff and TRS within the University to promote research successes in this project. During the project the PI and other relevant staff would ensure that TRS at Heriot-Watt University is informed of potential opportunities to ensure that all possible exploitation was properly protected by the appropriate means (e.g. collaboration agreements, NDAs, patent applications).