L-legs for the design of mini and micro parallel compliant mechanisms

The paper presents a delocalized-compliance mechanism architecture, named L-gimbal, with 3 elastic equivalent degree of freedom and discusses three example applications of it characterized by the same degree of freedom requirements. The L-gimbal is a parallel mechanism realized using modular compliant leg elements named L-legs. It originates from a mechanism in IIM (Increased Instantaneous Mobility) singular configuration, showing that singularities can be exploited in synthesis of compliant mechanisms. The simple geometry of the L-gimbal makes it fit for fabrication with MEMS techniques. Three example applications of this compliant architecture are presented: an elastic joint for the steering-trust module of a worm robot with peristaltic locomotion, a micro wrist for minimally invasive robotic surgery, and an active MEMS mirror support.