Stewart 6-axis platform

Overview:

Acrome's Stewart Platform provides realistic 6-DOF simulations using highly sensitive linear actuators, a gyroscope, and a three-axis accelerometer. The accessibility and user-friendliness of its components make it suitable for simulating real-world systems such as flight simulators, machine tools, crane technology, mechanical bulls, and precision positioning platforms (telescopes, antennas, orthopedic surgery, etc.).

The Stewart Platform teaching system allows students to learn the fundamentals of positioning control, such as common space schemes, trajectory generation, parallel kinematics, etc.

The Stewart Platform consists of an operational section (ref. AO00) with six DC linear motors, a 6-DOF inertial unit, and a gyroscope. The control section includes an electronic interface connected to a control/command card. This card can be selected based on the programming language preferred by the teaching team. The available control/command boards are:

. MyRIO board for programming from LabVIEW (ref. AO01)

. Arduino Mega card for programming from MATLAB Simulink (ref. AO02)

. Raspberry PI3 card enabling programming from Python (ref. AC//RPi3)

It is possible to purchase a single operating unit and different control/command cards to increase the educational coverage of the Stewart Platform.

This system comes with digital documentation including:

. An assembly and user manual

. A course manual and practical work manual

. The LabVIEW and MATLAB Simulink programs

Technical solutions covered:

. 6-axis positioning platform
. 6 DC linear motors
. A 6-degree-of-freedom inertial measurement unit
. Electronic interface card between the operating part and the control cards (myRIO, Arduino, and Raspberry)
. Fully compatible with LabVIEW and MATLAB Simulink
. Open source software structure for customizing desired applications

Key features:

• The Stewart Platform with teaching functions for understanding the fundamentals of 6-axis positioning.
• Control section can be chosen by users with programming in LabVIEW, MATLAB Simulink, or Python.
• Open source programs for creating your own control interfaces.

References:

AO00 : Stewart 6-axis platform, without control command

AO01 : Control with MyRIO

AO02 : Control with Arduino Mega

AC//RPi3: Control with Raspberry Pi 3