Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the design of the first full-scale prototype of the Atlas flight simulator motion platform for pilot training. The Atlas concept was introduced in 2005, and is unique in that orienting is decoupled from positioning, and unlimited rotations are possible about any axis of the mechanism. Detail design and manufacturing are complete, and assembly is in progress. The key to the design is three mecanum wheels in an equilateral arrangement, which impart angular displacements to a sphere that houses the cockpit, thereby providing rotational actuation. Since the Atlas sphere rests on these mecanum wheels, there are no joints or levers constraining its motion, allowing full 360° rotation about all axes, yielding an unbounded orientation workspace that is singularity free. In this paper, the current state of the design and assembly regarding actuation, the spherical S-glass shell, and modelling for motion control are discussed.
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Copeland, Z., Jung, B., Hayes, M.J.D., Langlois, R.G. (2015). Atlas Motion Platform Full-Scale Prototype Design. In: Bai, S., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Recent Advances in Mechanism Design for Robotics. Mechanisms and Machine Science, vol 33. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18126-4_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18126-4_24
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