Design Optimization of a Compact 3-DOF Parallel Micro/Nano Finger Manipulator

A compact and yet economical 3-DOF micro/nano finger manipulator based on micro parallel kinematics structure is presented in this paper. It uses three piezo-electric actuators and two types of flexure joints, one is a revolute joint and the other is a ball joint, as its main mechanism. The problem of inverse kinematics between end effector position and actuator displacements along with the Jacobian matrix for this design is derived. A glass needle of 3 to 10 cm length is used as the end effector to increase the workspace of the micro/nano manipulator. As the length of the glass needle end effector is decreased, the resolution and accuracy of the manipulator is increased while the workspace volume is decreased. The design parameters are optimally chosen so that the manipulator will obtain maximum workspace volume. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed model has a large workspace and in the same time it will be small in size using the proposed architecture