Actuation Singularity Analysis for 5-5R Parallel Manipulator

The screw theory is adopted for the kinematic performance analysis of a fully-symmetrical 5-5R parallel mechanism firstly. Then the actuation singularity analysis by using screw theory and Grassmann geometry is presented. Three cases of actuation singular configurations are found for this parallel mechanism. For each singular configuration, methods to avoid them are also presented. The determination of singular configurations is critical to understanding a parallel manipulator´s kinematics and can be important in the implementation of controller for manipulator.