Abstract
The multilink cable driven robot (MCDR) is an extension of the cable robots where the moving platform is replaced by a multibody chain. It is typically an open-chain structure with multiple links and complex cable routing. This design introduces the advantages of having a serial kinematic structure and preserves the benefits associated with cable-driven parallel mechanism. To achieve a minimum number of actuating cables while possessing a large workspace region, a novel internal cable routing scheme is proposed. It is shown that by incorporating internal routing with multi-segment cables, any serial chain with n degrees of freedom can be controlled with n + 1 cables. In this work, through studying the kinematics and statics, we demonstrate how internally-routed cable actuation of multilink manipulators have an increased workspace and reduced cable forces to execute trajectories.
