Development of multi-degree of freedom spherical ultrasonic motor

Presents the design concepts of a multi-degree of freedom spherical ultrasonic motor. It is expected to be applied to not only robotic manipulator´s actuator capable of multi-degree motion in a single joint but also the assembling machines, laser cutting and many other fields. The authors propose the concept of a new spherical ultrasonic motor based on a new principle, and then, investigate the characteristics of a disk type ultrasonic motor to determine the optimum design parameters.<>