The DLR Robot Motion Simulator Part I: Design and setup

In recent years a new generation of motion simulators, based on serial kinematics industrial robots, emerged as alternative to the currently prevalent Steward-platforms. This paper presents the newest addition to this: The DLR Robot Motion Simulator. Part I covers the design process and gives a detailed introduction of the setup. The overall layout of the simulation platform and its parts is introduced. To meet the requirements of an interactive simulation, a new piloting cell had to be designed using light-weight construction and real time vehicle simulations were required. Another key issue of the whole design is the guarantee of safety. The simulator utilizes a 10m linear axis to increase its workspace to provide a better simulation experience compared to previous designs of motion simulators with serial or parallel kinematics. Part II introduces a new path planning algorithm for the kinematically redundant simulator platform, required for the generation of appropriate motion cues. Furthermore the application artistic-flight simulation is demonstrated and validated.