Miniature Parallel Continuum Robot Made of Glass: Analysis, Design, and Proof-of-Concept

Parallel continuum robots (PCRs) are flexible manipulators, whose configuration is determined by the controlled deformation of their parallel-arranged elastic links. They are of great interest for micromanipulation applications due to their intrinsic compliance, their extrinsic actuation, and their miniaturization potential. This article presents the design and prototype of a miniature 3-DoF glass PCR, capable of reaching large tip-tilt angles in a tiny volume. The flexible structure is composed of three legs made of glass, each one having an extension range from 6 to 15 mm and a diameter of 125
μ
m. The workspace of the robot, its stiffness, and manipulability are evaluated with respect to varying geometrical proportions of the platform size with respect to the base diameter. Experimental validation shows that the platform is able to reach tip–tilt angles from -84
$^{\circ }$
to 117
$^{\circ }$
in a space of 15 mm wide and 10 mm high and to follow conveniently desired paths within its workspace.