Design of an omnidirectional arm

A design is presented for a state-of-the-art seven-degree-of-freedom arm consisting of a three-axis shoulder and wrist which are singularity-free and therefore capable of performing any human arm task. An anthropomorphic hand completes the system. Since the shoulder carries the greatest load of all the joints in a robot arm, its potential flexibility is problematic and has been enhanced in this design by the use of an anthrobotic pitch-yaw-roll joint and by placement of all arm motors adjacent to, but not on, the joints themselves. Simplification of the joint through unique kinematics and structure is described. The use of planetary gear systems in the shoulder roll and elbow serves to increase load capacity