Cable-suspended robot – an alternative device for precise object handling in enclosed spaces

Lodz University of Technology, a robot suspended on six cables. The described robot is equipped with electric drives, has a closed kinematic chain, and a number of degrees of freedom that allow for easy avoidance of obstacles located within its workspace. The design concept of the described device is based on the so-called inverted Stewart platform, but it has been enhanced by adding movable attachment points for the six cables supporting the working platform. The robot can be an attractive alternative to commonly used gantry cranes and overhead cranes with a moving rail mounted to the ceiling above the device’s workspace.CABLE SUSPENDED ROBOT – AN ALTERNATIVE INDOOR DEVICE FOR PRECISE CARRYING OF HEAVY OBJECTS
The paper presents a new cable suspended robot which has recently been designed and built at Institute of Automatic Control, Technical University of Łódź.
The robot is equipped with electric drives. Furthermore, it is characterized by the closed kinematic chain and the number of the degrees of freedom which allows easy obstacle avoidance in its workspace. The robot design is to some extent motivated by the idea of inverted Stewart platform, however its construction has been enhanced by the introduction of the movable mounting of the suspension cables. The robot may possibly present an attractive alternative for the currently popular standard and gantry type overhead cranes. (…)