A manipulator exhibits an _isotropic behaviour_ when it has the same performances along all the directions of the working space.
The authors introduce the new concept of _Point of Isotropy_, showing how in some circumstances a non-isotropic manipulator may be transform into an isotropic one simply changing the location of its Tool Center Point (TCP).
### Introduction {#introduction}
**Kinetostatic** of parallel manipulator can be studied with the following equations:
\begin{align}
\dot{Q} &= J \dot{S} \\\\\\
F\_s &= J^T F\_q \\\\\\
J &= \frac{\partial Q}{\partial S}
\end{align}
where \\(J\\) is the Jacobian matrix which relates the "gripper" velocity \\(\dot{S}\\) with those of the actuators \\(\dot{Q}\\), as well as the forces \\(F\_q\\) exerted by the actuators with the forces/torques \\(F\_s\\) applied to the gripper.
### Isotropy {#isotropy}
A robot is called **isotropic** if at least in one point of the working space some of its kinetostatic properties are homogeneous with respect to all the directions.
<divclass="definition">
<div></div>
-**Velocity isotropy**: A manipulator is isotropic with respect to the velocity, if it can perform the same velocity along all the directions.
-**Force isotropy**: A manipulator is isotropic with respect to the force, if it can exert the same force along all the directions.
-**Stiffness isotropy**: A manipulator is isotropic with respect to the stiffness, if the deflection of the TCP produced by a force applied to it is always in the direction of the force and its magnitude is independent of the force direction.
-**Mass isotropy**: A manipulator is isotropic with respect to the equivalent gripper mass, if the acceleration of the TCP produced by a force applied to it is always in the direction of the force and its magnitude is independent of the force direction.
</div>
A 6-DoF spatial manipulator is isotropic with respect to velocity if:
Assuming that the actuators are locked and that they are the only sources of compliance, the force \\(F\_s\\) to be applied to the end effector to produce a motion \\(dS\\) is:
where \\(k\_x\\) is the translation stiffness and \\(k\_\phi\\) is the rotation stiffness.
This means that:
- forces \\(F\\) applied to the TCP do not produce rotations \\(d\phi\\) but only translations \\(dX\\)
- the translation is proportional to the force and parallel to it regardless to the force direction
- torques \\(T\\) applied to the TCP do not produce translations \\(dx\\) but only rotations \\(d\phi\\)
- the rotation is proportional to the torque and occurs around the same axis as the applied torque
In this special case in which all the actuators are identical to each other, and therefore have the same stiffness \\(k\\), we have \\(K\_s = kJ^TJ\\) and the condition number of the matrix \\(J^TJ\\) can be investigated instead of that of \\(J^T K\_q J\\).
In this case the isotropy for velocity, force and stiffness are achieve simultaneously.
A manipulator is called partially of totally decoupled if the general movements of the robot can be subdivided in elementary tasks, each actuated by one or a group of actuators.
Decoupling may be referred to the end effector coordinate or to local kinetostatic properties related to the Jacobian.
The paper discusses the concepts of isotropy and decoupling in n-DoF PKM.
The role of different Jacobian matrices in the isotropy, decoupling and in general mobility analysis of manipulators is recalled.
It is highlighted how isotropy and decoupling may be achieved for pure translational manipulators in the whole workspace while rotational manipulators maybe decoupling in only one configuration.
They also proved that the symmetric generalized Stewart platform at a neutral position could be fully decoupled by adjusting the payload's center of mass to coincide with its **compliance center**. ([Tong et al. 2011](#org3d4f33e))
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