The DELTA parallel robot, designed by an EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) research team, is a mechanical structure which has the advantage of parallel robots and ease of serial robots modeling. This paper presents solutions for a complete modeling of the DELTA parallel robot (direct and inverse kinematics, inverse statics, inverse dynamics), with few arithmetic and trigonometric operations. Our method is based on a satisfactory choice of kinematic parameters and on a few restricting hypotheses for the static and dynamic models. We give some details of each model, we present some computation results and we put the emphasis on some particular points, showing the capabilities of this mechanical structure.

The kinematic behaviour of 362 chromospherically active binary stars (CABs) in the solar neighbourhood were investigated. The Third CABs Catalog by Eker et al. (2008) was used as the main source. The spatial distribution and the components of the Galactic space velocities of the programme stars were determined. The effects of differential rotation and Local Standard of Rest (LSR) were corrected for all systems.

Forty probable moving group (MG) members were determined by Eggen's criteria. The kinematic age of the young systems, which are probable members of MGs, was calculated as 0.79 (0.21) Gyr and the rest of 322 field stars were found to have a kinematic age of 4.38 (1.1) Gyr. Field CABs were separated into two sub-groups: dwarf systems, which were formed by main sequence (dwarf) stars, and evolved systems included at least one evolved (giant or sub-giant) component. The kinematic age of 134 dwarf systems was calculated as 4.69 (0.75) Gyr and 4.15 (1.29) Gyr for 188 evolved CABs.

Background: Developments in data collection technology enable evaluation of kinematic characteristics of the drawing process. We examined the clock drawing task in elderly patients with mild Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), assessed the relative importance of kinematic measures that differentiate the groups and analyzed associations between computerized measures, and the cognitive and depression status of the study groups.

Methods: The participants comprised 20 elderly people with mild MDD and 20 matched controls. Both groups performed a clock drawing task using a computerized system. Kinematic measures included: number of segments drawn, performance time, pressure implemented towards the drawing surface, and pen azimuth. Three representative spatial characteristics were analyzed per segments drawn on the paper: height, width and length. The clock drawing tasks were blindly scored with Freedman's method. Cognitive state was quantified using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).

Results: Freedman's method found no between-group differences. Pressure and azimuth measures and spatial measures of segments height, width and length were significantly lower in the mild MDD group, while the number of paper segments and performance time did not differ. The azimuth measure correlated with the GDS score, and pressure with the MMSE and the GDS scores. Spatial measures did not correlate with either the MMSE or GDS. Pressure, segment width and length, azimuth and segment height allowed correct classification of 81.1% of the participants.

Conclusions: A computerized system focusing on the clock drawing task might be sensitive to altered performance among elderly people with mild MDD.

This paper addresses the kinematic workspaces of a walking machine and their graphical representation. The workspaces for walking machines are denned and the methods for investigating various workspaces are presented; the kinematic workspace constraints are established; the displacement is analysed; an algorithm for investigation of kinematic workspaces is presented; and the position and orientation kinematic workspaces are analysed and graphically represented for an example walking machine design.