Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2009
An analysis is presented in this paper for the equilibrium of a class of parallel manipulators resembling the Stewart platform in a general form. General coordinates and 4 x 4 homogeneous transformations are employed to arrive at exact expressions for the force distribution in all six legs given the general 6-dimensional wrench (generalized force) at the upper platform of a parallel manipulator. Numerical examples are carried out to examine the validity of the approach and the accuracy of the numerical technique employed.