Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2005
This paper proposes a general method to develop n-DOF serial isotropic manipulators. The parameters of 6-DOF isotropy generators are used as the initial values in a numerical method to obtain redundant isotropic generators. Additional constraint equations are then added, with the parameters of the obtained generators as initial values, to obtain the isotropy generators with special parameters. Each generator can be developed into many isotropic designs with special or desired link parameters. Two different approaches for developing isotropic manipulators are also investigated.