Development of the upper body of a humanoid robot using parallel linkage mechanisms

In this study, we have performed simulations to study actuator forces and stroke lengths, which are required to perform selected movements of the upper body of a humanoid robot. Results from the simulations are used to compare the performance of four types of parallel linkage mechanisms: 6-DOF 6-UCU, 5-DOF redundant 6-UCU-SS, 3-DOF redundant 6-UCU-SR, and 3-DOF redundant 6-UCU-UR hybrid parallel linkage mechanisms. The comparisons show that the use of redundant mechanisms provides better performance in changing the upper body positions and orientations.