Modeling and Simulation of a Parallel Mechanical Elbow with 3 DOF

Abstract

The modeling and simulation 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 made with 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.