Key issues in studying parallel manipulators

This paper reviews several key issues on the trends and open research problems of parallel manipulators. The research of a parallel manipulator structure is an essential question. It includes two research issues: design of a novel parallel robot mechanism and performance indexes. This paper reviews the methods on the two aspects and presents the research directions. The paper discusses the functions and roles of the kinematics and dynamics in parallel manipulators. Especially, the methods of developing dynamics are categorized and summarized. The paper also proposes a method to set up the control system, including the hardware and software, and evaluates the importance of a sensor with multi-information. The paper introduces two main new applications of parallel manipulators: as heavy-duty equipment and a micro-operation device, and highlights several questions to be solved.