An Integrated Mechatronic Framework for Real-Time Trajectory Planning and Workspace Analytics of A 6-DOF Parallel Manipulator

Abstract

This paper presents a mechatronic framework for generating predictable trajectories and safely executing hardware-in-the-loop operations of a low-cost, rotary-actuated six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) parallel manipulator. Unlike traditional prismatic Stewart platforms, this system explicitly accounts for servo-horn geometry and angular deadbands in its kinematic structure. To safely process chaotic, human-generated inputs, a deterministic software pipeline was developed. It uses generalized arc-length parameterization to maintain a constant task-space velocity for any spatial path and 7th-order minimum-jerk polynomials for optimal navigation through multiple waypoints. A vectorized digital twin checks all trajectories before execution, ensuring real-valued inverse kinematics and hardware compliance. The architecture was validated with a thorough analysis of the volumetric workspace. This analysis shows significant kinematic coupling issues and proves that the deterministic time-allocation engine effectively avoids actuator velocity saturation during complex movements.