Abstract
A new kind of motion base is proposed for the purpose of setting up a user-friendly interaction system on a desktop. It aims at generating motion in various situations with a large range of movement using a simple mechanism, and generating motion adequate for an interaction with a man and for computer application. In this paper, a prototype of the motion base is developed. Its mechanism consists of a combination of a wheel drive locomotion mechanism and a 3-degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel link mechanism in parallel. It is aimed at generating 3 DOF translational motion on a desktop with a simple mechanism as a whole and with a large range of movement, especially in the horizontal direction. In consideration of application for man-computer interaction, the prototype is controlled by a microprocessor, a microcontroller and FPGA. This paper presents a description of the concept of the motion base for a desktop interaction system, the prototype mechanism, the control system and the preliminary experiment which demonstrates typical translational motions.