Abstract: A pair of orthogonally oriented linear member are slidingly linked to a base at their respective ends. A stage, having a pair of orthogonally oriented bores, receives the pair of linear members, thereby permitting the stage to move in any horizontal direction. The stage further has two parallel, vertically oriented bores to receive a pair of parallel, vertically oriented linear members. The adjacent ends of the vertically oriented linear members are connected by upper and lower platforms, each having a cable guide thereat. A motor is mounted to the base and is coupled to a drive shaft. A hangar, fixedly mounted to one of the horizontal linear members, rotationally hold a first drive pulley which is slidably mounted on the drive shaft. Located opposite the drive pulley and also fixedly mounted to the horizontal linear member is a cable hangar. A cable frictionally engages the drive pulley to translate rotational movement of the drive pulley into vertical movement of the platforms.

Abstract: A substantially balanced, five-axis, direct drive mini-robot provides repeatable micro-manipulation to micron precision. Dynamic forces of each link are nearly decoupled from the dynamic forces of remaining links. The robot is generally formed as a shoulder, arm and wrist assembly. At the shoulder a linear actuator drives the robot in a linear horizontal movement along a first axis (e.g., z axis). Two additional actuators at the shoulder provide revolute motion to rotate the arm in an xz plane (e.g., for lateral motion) and a yz plane (e.g., for vertical motion), respectively. A fourth actuator provides rotational motion to move an end-effector (manipulator) at the wrist through a yaw motion. A fifth actuator, positioned at the shoulder and linked to the wrist, provides rotational motion to move the end-effector through a pitch motion.