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The forward kinematics of the Gough-Stewart platform, and their simplified versions in which some leg endpoints coalesce, has been typically solved using variable elimination methods. In this paper, we cast doubts on whether this is the easiest way to solve the problem. We will see how the indirect approach in which the length of some extra virtual legs is first computed leads to important simplifications. In particular, we provide a procedure to solve 30 out of 34 possible topologies for a Gough-Stewart platform without variable elimination.

Peer Reviewed