Conceptual Design and Kinematic Performance Evaluation of a New Asymmetrical Parallel Robot

This paper deals with the conceptual design and kinematics of a new asymmetrical parallel mechanism, named "TAM". The robot is a modified version of the SKM400 concept, achieved by integrating one of the three active limbs into the passive limb. The idea leading to the innovation of the parallel mechanism is systematically addressed. The condition number of the Jacobian is used to evaluate the kinematic performance. It has been concluded that the proposed mechanism is cost effective and competitive in terms of theoretical kinematic performance in comparison with the SKM400.