Structural optimization for flexure-based parallel mechanisms – Towards achieving optimal dynamic and stiffness properties

Soft Actuators for Small‐Scale Robotics

“…To generate effective actuation, compliant mechanisms have to spatially pattern their stiffness characteristics so that they can be stimulated by external pressure or forces to produce desired deformations. While a wide variety of compliant mechanisms exist, the studies pertaining to high‐precision machines and microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) have been well discussed and reviewed, with considerable focus toward the topological optimization of continuum structures . Thus, here we will focus primarily on relatively new pressure‐driven soft actuators that are employed for soft robotic applications.…”

Jacobian-Based Topology Optimization Method Using an Improved Stiffness Evaluation

“…The transformation is shown in Eq. (22). The resulting K m is the mechanism stiffness matrix that characterizes the stiffness relationship between the n input freedoms and the three freedoms of output point o…”

“…To introduce the idea of topology optimization into the design scope of the rigid-body replacement approach, our previous works [17][18][19] tried to synthesize the flexure-based compliant mechanisms with simple motion based on the idea of topology optimization. Lum et al [20][21][22] presented a hybrid topological and structural optimization method. This method first synthesizes the compliant joints with the optimal stiffness characteristics by topology optimization.…”

Design and 3D printing of compliant mechanisms

“…This method is developed to synthesize multi-DOF CPMs and most importantly, the successful implementation of dynamic optimization allows it to overcome the common drawback of existing methods. Nevertheless, the mechanism integrated method is only applicable for synthesizing multi-DOF planar-motion CPMs such as the 3-DOF (X -Y -θZ) designs [74,75,121], spatial-structure CPMs are unable to obtain due to limitations of the mapping technique. In addition, several objective functions were proposed in the mechanism-integrated method in order to synthesize multi-DOF CPMs.…”

“…Thus, almost developed CPMs have 1-DOF and are applied to create grippers, force/motion amplifiers/inverters. Recently, a new objective function has been proposed to synthesize multi-DOF CPMs [74], but its unit is not well defined because of the difference in the units (N/m or Nm/rad) of the components within the stiffness matrix.…”