Redundant actuation and redundant sensing expand the abilities of parallel robots. In this seminar, I introduce the concept of the mechanical design, sensing and control of 3-dof planar parallel robots driven by four actuators. The following topics will be covered:

• Overcoming singularities and expanding the robot workspace by means of redundancy. Not only conventional unlimited rotation but also novel motion capabilities are introduced.
• Achieving dynamical decoupling via redundancy.
• Force sensing and impedance control.
• Improving robot accuracy by means of redundancy.

Biography

Takashi Harada received the B. Eng. and M. Eng. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Osaka University, Japan. He then worked in several research and development divisions in the Japanese machine manufacturing industry. Based on research he accomplished, Harada developed new technologies and products related to industrial robots and machine tools. He received a Dr. Eng. degree from Osaka University in 2000.

Since 2006, Harada is a professor in Kinki University's Precision Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering. His main subject of research is precision mechanical engineering with a focus on robust measurement and control of mechanical systems in industrial environments. Recently, Harada has focused on the design and control of parallel mechanisms with large workspaces.