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A new three-d.o.f. parallel mechanism, with 3-RPC topology, is presented in the paper and its kinematics is studied. The proposed architecture, if proper geometrical conditions are satisfied, has an overconstrained structure which allows motions of pure translation. The simple structure of the mechanism allows finding closed-form solutions for both inverse and direct position kinematics; the differential analysis has been developed as well, by deriving a symbolic expression for the Jacobian matrix. Then, some design considerations are exposed to keep the singular points out of the working space of the mechanism and all the isotropic configurations are eventually identified.

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Purpose – This paper aims to deal with the problem of programming robots in industrial contexts, where the need of easy programming is increasing, while robustness and safety remain fundamental aspects. Design/methodology/approach – A novel approach of robot programming can be identified with the manual guidance that permits to the operator to freely move the robot through its task; the task can then be taught using Programming by Demonstration methods or simple reproduction. Findings – In this work, the different ways to achieve manual guidance are discussed and an implementation using a force/torque sensor is provided. Experimental results and a use case are also presented. Practical implications – The use case shows how this methodology can be used with an industrial robot. An implementation in industrial contexts should be adjusted accordingly to ISO safety standards as described in the paper. Originality/value – This paper presents a complete state-of-the-art of the problem and shows a real practical use case where the approach presented could be used to speed up the teaching process.