HexapetronRobot
A 3-legged, 6-DOF parallel robot — the first of its kind built in hardware. Each leg uses dual parallel rails with independent motors for full spatial control.
What is the Hexapetron?
A novel parallel robot architecture that achieves full six degrees of freedom using only three legs — a significant departure from the conventional six-legged Stewart platform.
Parallel Robot Architecture
3-Legged · 6-DOF · OrthogonalThe Hexapetron is a 3-legged parallel robot capable of achieving all six degrees of freedom — three translational (X, Y, Z) and three rotational (roll, pitch, yaw). Unlike the traditional Stewart platform which requires six legs, the Hexapetron achieves the same spatial capability with just three orthogonally arranged legs.
Each leg consists of two parallel prismatic actuators mounted on mobile rails. The three legs are arranged orthogonally, and together they drive a moving platform (end-effector) through its full workspace. This architecture reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining full spatial dexterity.
Inverse Kinematics
Kinematic equations derived via loop closure analogies map platform position and orientation to individual actuator strokes. A Cartesian stiffness matrix relates actuator stiffness and Jacobian matrices to platform force-deflection behavior — showing isotropic stiffness at zero tilt.
Workspace Analysis
~66.5 million pose configurations evaluated using MATLAB and Simscape. The workspace shows non-uniform orientation capability with diagonal favoritism. Maximum safe tilt is 40° (mechanically limited to 43°, software-limited to 40° to avoid singularities).
Control System
Open-loop control implemented on an STM32 microcontroller generating step and direction signals for six NEMA 17 stepper motors via TB6600 drivers. Future plans include MATLAB trajectory planning integration.
Mechanical Design
CAD modeled in SolidWorks and prototyped via 3D printing. Critical components include custom rail mounts, ball screw assemblies (SFU1204), and a precision-machined moving platform.
Stiffness & Safety
Cartesian stiffness matrix formulation ensures structural integrity. Motor and ball screw calculations confirm sufficient torque with high safety factors. Simscape modeling resolved assembly and frame alignment issues.
Built at GIU
Nine engineering students and three supervisors at the German International University brought the Hexapetron from theory to hardware.
Supervisors
Students
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
Write a short bio here — your role on the project, what you worked on, your interests, or anything you'd like visitors to know about you.
German International University
The Hexapetron project was developed as part of the Mechatronics Engineering program at GIU. This work bridges theoretical kinematic models with practical hardware implementation, providing a foundation for future closed-loop control and optimization of reduced-leg parallel robots.