Innovative Teaching Tools: A Low-Cost Stereo Vision Approach for Kinematic Validation of 3D Compliant Mechanisms for Future Higher Education Courses

Compliant mechanisms, characterized by monolithic structures utilizing motion derived from the deflection of flexible parts, known as compliant joints, represent a paradigm shift in mechanism synthesis. This shift introduces numerous challenges, especially for learning institutions, since its early adoption may benefit students' competences towards novel technologies in addition to strength problem solving abilities. A promising path for teaching compliant mechanisms synthesis is through experimentation, this poses numerous challenges, foremost among them being the need for accurate methods for validation that incorporate both rigid-body and flexible-body kinematics. The validation of such mechanisms poses a key challenge, particularly in the context of non-planar mechanisms. This work addresses this challenge by proposing an algorithm grounded in visual object tracking and stereo vision for the kinematic validation of a novel 3D compliant gripper mechanism. The experimental setup employs two cost-effective commercial USB cameras for stereo vision, three 3D-printed gripper prototypes with varying material properties, and an actuation system. The motion data obtained is validated against finite element simulations. The comparison with the experimental validation has an error rate of less than 10% which indicates the efficiency of the tracking system created through this paper. This implementation holds promise as an inexpensive tool for teaching state-of-the-art kinematic models in a hands-on fashion.