Development of 3-DOF Translational Skill-Assist Arm using a Passive Joint

Abstract

This study presents a 3-DOF translational robotic serial arm consisting of a passive joint without mechanical constraints and two active joints. According to a displacement of the passive joint by a human operation, the robotic arm can assist a 3-DOF translational motion of human arm with human will. In this paper, first, a principle and a controlling method of the robotic arm are revealed. Then, a prototype of the robotic assist arm is fabricated. Finally, we conduct evaluation tests of the prototype, and it is suggested that the skill-assist arm assists 3-DOF translational motion of human arm with human will.