The paper deals with an innovative parallel robot (PKM) for rapid assembly tasks, developed within the Italian research programme PRIDE. The aim of this threedegree-of-freedom, purely translational robot is to perform operations in which the contact forces are regulated without the use of force sensors, by means of impedance control. After a description of the prototype mechanical realization, the control algorithm and its implementation are shown, with details about the adopted main control unit and digital drivers. The general behaviour of the machine is good, and this seems to encourage the future application of impedance-controlled parallel robots in several industrial production lines. Key Words Robotics, closed-loop kinematics, impedance control, assembly.
Luca E. Bruzzone, Rezia M. Molfino, Matteo Zoppi,