On the Task Specific Evaluation and Optimisation of Cable-Driven Manipulators

Cable-driven manipulators are traditionally designed for general performance objectives, such as maximisation of workspace. To take advantage of the reconfigurability of cable-driven mechanisms, the optimisation of cable-configurations for specific tasks is presented. Specifically, two types of task specific objectives are explored, the minimisation of cable forces over a desired trajectory and the maximisation of workspace about a desired pose. The formulation and incorporation to the optimisation problem for both task specific objectives are presented. Illustrated using a 3-DoF manipulator example, the results clearly demonstrated the advantages of optimising cable configurations for specific tasks. The potential ease of relocation in cable attachments makes task dependent reconfiguration feasible.