2017 International Conference on Robotics and Automation Sciences
Delta Robot Forward Kinematics Method with One Root
Igor Gritsenko
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: bkopnq@yandex.kz
Azizbek Abduraimov
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: zizo_waterpolo@mail.ru
Abay Bekbaganbetov
Kazakh-British Technical University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: abay_b@bk.ru
Abstract—In this work we investigate forward kinematics of
Clavel’s parallel Delta robot. Authors introduce novel
alternative algorithm for delta robot forward kinematics
solution, which has only one root. We introduce numerical
verification with closed loop kinematics computation: inverse
kinematics – forward kinematics. Additionally authors
introduce their own implementation of inverse kinematics for
delta robot. Numerical implementation of proposed forward
kinematics algorithm showed computation time of 150
microseconds per iteration and computational error of 10-19,
that is could be considered as a microprocessor computation
error.
Keywords-delta; parallel robot; kinematics
I. INTRODUCTION
The modern production of light industry is automated
and robotic. On these technological operations the
manipulation mechanisms of the traditional sequential
structure with different number of degrees of freedom are
used. The kinematics of a manipulator with a parallel
structure - the Delta robot - is considered. The delta robot is a
parallel robot, which means that there is more than one
kinematic chain from the base to the robot actuator. The key
feature is the use of parallelograms in the construction of the
manipulator, which allows to preserve the spatial orientation
of the robot actuator.
A distinctive feature of the delta robot is that its structure
allows 3rd drives interconnected to form in space the
position of the gripper, the gripper coordinate system is
always parallel to the base coordinate system ([1]).
The analytical solution for calculating the forward
kinematics of delta robot. In contrast to the conventional
approach: the search for the intersection point of three
spheres having two alternative roots and requiring a
978-1-5386-3995-5/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE
Askar Seidakhmet
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: seydakhmet@mail.ru
Pavel Gritsenko
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: lickro@mail.ru
procedure for selecting one of them, the solution given in
this paper has a single root. The analytical solution allows
solving the problem with low computational costs.
In this paper, we use the mechanism parameters shown in
Figure 1.
Lbr
Lb
Le
Ler
Figure 1. Delta robot mechanism parameters.
Vector from the center of the base to the center of the
rotor of the drive – Lbr, length of the lever arm fixed to the
drive – Lb, length of the passive shoulder – Le, vector from
the attachment point of the passive shoulder to the grip – Ler.
The design of the robot delta is such that the vectors Ler and
Lbr are always parallel, which greatly simplifies the robot
model, allowing you to move the origin of Lb along the
vector Ler to the center of the base and the end of Le along
the vector Ler to the center of gripper. Thus the gripper is not
described by three points as a common three-point links
available. And the coordinate system of the gripper is always
parallel to the base coordinate system.
39
 The classic method for solving the forward kinematics
problem is to find the points of intersection of 3 spheres and
discussed in the works [2-5].
(x-xm1)2+(y-ym1)2 +(z-zm1)2 = Re2 ,
(x-xm2)2+(y-ym2)2 +(z-zm2)2 = Re2,
(x-xm3)2+(y-ym3)2 +(z-zm3)2 = Re2
Figure 2. Geometrical image of crossing method in three areas - the
solution has 2-points
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE CALCULATING METHOD OF
FORWARD KINEMATICS
Our proposed method treats the problem from another
angle: we consider a sphere centered at the center of the
(1)
Figure 3. The geometric meaning of the above method - the section of the
sphere circle
The proposed method consists of several steps in the
following sequence:
Step 1. With the coordinates of three points, we obtain an
equation normal of the plane formed by these points using
the cross product result is normalized to obtain the unit
vector:
N=norm[ (P1-P2)X(P1-P3) ] (2)
Here and shaped condition for an unambiguous
determination of the position S - sign normal does not
change until the vector (P1-P2) is on one side of the vector
(P1-P3), none delta robot design makes physical possibility
of vectors to change direction relative each other.
Step 2. Determine the point of the circle center around
the triangle P1, P2, P3, using the coordinates of the points
(P1, P2, P3) and the barycentric parameters (p1, p2, p3 - the
lengths of the sides of the triangle)
¨
§ p12 p 2 2  p32  p12 P1  · 
¸
gripper (S) and a radius of Le respectively ends of levers Lb
(P1, P2, P3) always lie in this area. In addition, these points 
¨ p 2 2 p32  p12  p 2 2 P 2 ¸ 
¨ ¸
describe a plane that crosses the sphere forming a circle, And
knowing the center of the circle, the radius and the normal © 
¨  p32 p12  p 2 2  p32 P3 ¸
¹  (3)
U
one can uniquely determine the position of S in space.
¨

§ p12 p 2 2  p32  p12  ·
¸

Actually, we want to find the center of the sphere, knowing
its three points and one limitation (Fig. 3). 
¨ p 2 2 p32  p12  p 2 2 ¸ 
¨ ¸

¨  p32 p12  p 2 2  p32 ¸
© ¹ 
U - the coordinates of the circle center.
Step 3. We determine the distance from the circle center
to the center of the sphere.
Radius of the circle:
r = |U-m1| (4)

The distance from the circle center to the center of the

sphere:
d R2  r 2 (5)

Step 4. From the point of the center of the circle U we

reconstruct a vector along the normal N of length d.

40
 S = U + N·d
Point S is the desired point - delta robot’s gripper center
and forward problem solution of delta robot kinematics. It
should be noted that if you change the sequence of vectors in
the first step, then the point will be at the center of the sphere
on the other side of the circle of the section. This solution
does not depend on the shape of the motion of the points -
they can move along a circle or along a linear trajectory or a
complex trajectory, in any case the method will work if the
solution exists.
III. VERIFICATION OF THE CALCULATION METHOD FOR
FORWARD KINEMATICS
To confirm the accuracy and debugging of the proposed
calculation algorithm, the looping method was used:
1. Arbitrary angles of actuators A1 A2 A3 are formed;
2. Forward kinematics is calculated, which gives the
coordinate S;
3. An inverse kinematics is calculated from the
coordinate S which returns the angles of the drives
A1 'A2' A3 ';
4. The error E1 = A1'-A1 is calculated;
5. The conditions of computer simulation: range of
angle [0-90] degrees step 3 degrees - only 30 ^ 3
calculations (270 000).
Computer simulations showed a deviation of E1 below
10 ^ -19 degrees - which is probably related to the resolving
power of the calculator, and not the error of the calculation
method. The error does not change in the boundary points.
The following Figure 4 shows a view of a particular
workspace delta manipulator constructed in the robotics
laboratory at the Al-Farabi KazNU. The working area is
obtained by calculating points of the foregoing forward
kinematics method.
Figure 4. Working area Delta robot
(6) The method of calculating inverse kinematics was used
standard - but the above implementation of the method is an
author's development and is intuitively understandable.
In the case of inverse kinematics, we know the position
of the point S and must determine the angles of the drives. In
this case, the drives can be viewed independently.
Consider a solution for one drive - A1. The structure of
the robot is such that the lever Lb moves along a circle in
one plane and we arrange the coordinate system in the center
of the rotor as in the figure below. We obtain the coordinates
of the point S in terms of the coordinate frame m1:
S1 = T1-1S (7)
where T1-1 - Inversion of the homogeneous matrix of the
transition from the base to the coordinate system M1.
Figure 5. Coordinate system of Delta robot
Note that the lever Lb moves in the plane YZ and the
length Lb in the projection on the plane YZ will always be
equal to itself, and the displacement S in X occurs only due
to Le, then the length of the projection Le on the plane YZ:
|Le’| = sqrt(|Le|2-X2); line length from the start coordinates
M1 to S1 '(S1 projection on the plane YZ) is simply:
S1’|=sqrt(Y2+Z2).
Thus, we obtain a triangle in the plane
Figure 6. Geometric meaning of the calculating method of delta robot’s
inverse kinematic
41
 We are interested will find the angle θ as follows: θ=φ-σ; efficiency and accuracy is created. The decision of direct
wherein θϵ[0 90]; φϵ(15 165); σϵ(15 165); φ – find kinematics to build a working area of the robot in a volume
coordinates using S1 ' and σ determine by the cosine theorem; of 30 ^ 3 points has taken, 3.939 sec, or 146 microseconds
φ=Ctg-1(y/z); we specifically use arccotangent, because the per calculation. In the future work, the authors are going to
§  2
range of its values (0-180); V arccos ¨ Lb  S1c  Lec ¸ ,
2

2 ·
¨ 2 ˜ Lb ˜ S1c ¸ robot, investigate the forms of working areas for various
© ¹
the arc cosine also has a range of values (0-180).
Convenient is that to calculate angles 2 and 3, you need
to change only the first step and get S2, S3, respectively.
IV. CONCLUSION
A new method for solving the forward kinematics
problem is obtained, the method is realized and verified by
means of both an analytical substantiation and a numerical
experiment. It should be noted that if you change the
sequence of vectors in the first step, then the point will be at
the center of the sphere on the other side of the circle of the
section. This solution does not depend on the shape of the
motion of points - they can move along a circle or along a
linear trajectory or a complex trajectory, in any case the
method will work if the solution exists. An implementation
of inverse kinematics for a robot with high numerical
42
use the results obtained and investigate the calculations of
the dynamics and construction of regulators of the delta
topologies of delta manipulators.
REFERENCES
[1] Clavel, R. (1988), Delta: a Fast Robot with Parallel Geometry,
Proceedings of the 18th Int. Symposium on Industrial Robot,
Lausanne.
[2] Tremblay, A., Baron, L. (1999), Geometrical Synthesis of Parallel
Manipulators of Star-Like Topology with a Genetic Algorithm, IEEE
Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Detroit, Michigan.
[3] Zsombor-Murray, P.J. (2001), Kinematic Analysis of Clavel’s
“Delta” Robot, CCToMM Symposium on Mechanisms, Machines and
Mechatronics, Saint-Hubert (Montréal).
[4] André Olsson, Modeling and control of a Delta-3 robot, master thesis,
Department of Automatic Control, Lund University, 2009.
[5] Manuel Napoleon Cardona Gutierrez, “Kinematics Analysis of a
Delta Parallel Robot”, IEEE, University of Sonsonate, Salvador,2010.