Dear Colleagues,

As a complementary configuration of serial robots, parallel robots use multi-branched chains to jointly drive the end effector, which has the characteristics of high rigidity, high load capacity, quick dynamic response, and compact structure. The novel structure and characteristics of parallel robots have attracted extensive attention from both academia and industry. Innovative achievements have been made in mechanism design, optimization, control, etc., and have been successfully applied to high-speed pick-and-place, machine tools, simulators, medical devices, and so on.

The unique structure and excellent performance of parallel robots have driven researchers and developers in the community to explore continuously. In recent years, new types of parallel robots, such as cable-driven parallel robots, continuum robots, soft robots, underactuated robots, and hybrid robots, keep emerging. The application fields of parallel robots keep expanding, such as human–machine interaction, space capture, bionics, and medical and rehabilitation. New actuation methods, configurations, and application areas raise more scientific questions and chances.

This Special Issue will serve as a sharing platform for researchers and engineers to share and discuss the latest research results and explore the future developments of parallel robots. Papers are welcome on topics related to different aspects of structure design, modeling, simulation, optimization, control, and applications of parallel robots, including, but not limited to:

• Synthesis and innovation design of parallel/hybrid robots;
• Cable-driven, rigid-flexible, bionic, soft parallel robots;
• Redundancy/reconfiguration of parallel/hybrid mechanisms;
• Performance analysis, evaluation and optimization;
• Precision assurance of high-performance parallel/hybrid mechanisms;
• Advanced/intelligent control methods of parallel robots;
• Novel concepts, state-of-the-art approaches/technologies in relevant fields;
• Innovative applications of parallel robots and mechanisms, including human–machine interaction, medical/bionic devices, robotic machining, space capture, etc.

Dr. Zhaokun Zhang
Dr. Qizhi Meng
Dr. Zhiwei Cui
Guest Editors

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