Simulation of a parallel mechanical elbow with 3 DOF

Abstract

The kinematics simulation and modeling of a mechanical elbow of 3 degrees of freedom, is introduced by highlighting the main features of the mechanism related to the design criteria. The mechanical elbow is used as a transhumeral prosthetic part, and it has been built as a parallel topology consisting of electric linear actuators and universal joints. The parallel mechanism has 4 legs. 3 are electric linear actuators, and the fourth leg provides mechanical support for the whole structure and holds a DC Motor that performs the action of gripping objects. Furthermore, this paper shows the inverse kinematics for the elbow by geometric methods, and the MatLab?simulation results show the workspace of the movement and the ability of the mechanical elbow to replicate the movements of a biological one.