Design and simulation of a class of spatial reactionless manipulators

Abstract

For conventional designs of robots, manipulator motions result in forces and moments on the base. These forces and moments may cause undesirable translation and rotation of the base. The objective of this paper is to systematically analyze the fundamentals of reactionless robots. Based on this analysis, a design of one distinct class of spatial robot is proposed. The design is achieved through appropriate choices of geometric and inertial parameters. Due to the underlying conservation laws, the trajectory must satisfy additional constraints. We illustrate the reactionless feature of this robot through computer simulations. We are also fabricating reactionless robots to illustrate the underlying concepts.