Comparative structural analysis of 2-DOF semi-direct-drive linkages for robot arms

Reports the first direct structural comparison of a family of two-degrees-of-freedom semi-direct-drive linkages for robot arms. One novel and three previously reported linkage designs were optimized and compared using finite-element analysis. The results quantify structural properties of the four optimized designs under variations in joint position and payload. Several frequently overlooked issues essential for fair comparison of disparate linkages are identified and addressed.