Path planning and motion control for a 3 DOF massaging robot

This paper proposes path planning and motion control for a 3 DOF massage robot. The trajectory planning and implementation is achieved through the feedback of position coordinates of end effector thereby controlling the motion of the robot along X and Z axis. A new and compact design consisting of magnetic proximity sensors and magnets was proposed for the end effector design to detect the subject. The massaging technique adopted was rolling. By simultaneous enabling of the X and Z axis motion of the robot and with the aid of the sensory information, the body contour of the subject was closely followed. For the verification and testing of the trajectory planning, three modes of massage operations were developed. All the massage operations were carried out in a preset time. An interactive HMI screen was also developed to ensure the user friendliness of the system.