The use of parallel manipulators in aerospace engineering has gained significant attention due to their ability to provide improved stability and precision. This paper presents the design, control, and analysis of 'STEWIE', which is a three-degree-of-freedom (DoF) parallel manipulator robot developed by members of the thrustMIT rocketry team, as a payload stabilization mechanism for their sounding rocket, 'Altair'. The goal of the robot was to demonstrate the attitude control of the parallel plate against the continuous change in orientation experienced by the rocket during its flight, stabilizing the payloads. At the same time, the high gravitational forces (G-forces) and vibrations experienced by the sounding rocket are counteracted. A novel design of the mechanism, inspired by a standard Stewart platform, is proposed which was down-scaled to fit inside a 4U CubeSat within its space constraints. The robot uses three micro servo motors to actuate the links that control the alignment of the parallel plate. In addition to the actuation mechanism, a robust control system for its manipulation was developed for the robot. The robot represents a significant advancement in the field of space robotics in the aerospace industry by demonstrating the successful implementation of complex robotic mechanisms in small, confined spaces such as CubeSats, which are standard form factors for large payloads in the aerospace industry.

翻译：在航空航天工程中，并联机械臂因其能够提供更高的稳定性和精度而受到广泛关注。本文介绍了由thrustMIT火箭团队开发的、用于其探空火箭'Altair'的三自由度并联机械臂机器人'STEWIE'作为有效载荷稳定机构的设计、控制与分析。该机器人的目标是在火箭飞行期间持续变化的姿态下，演示对平行板的姿态控制，从而稳定有效载荷。同时，它能够抵消探空火箭所经历的高重力载荷（G力）和振动。本文提出了一种受标准Stewart平台启发的新型机构设计，该设计按比例缩小以适应4U立方星内部的空间限制。机器人使用三个微型伺服电机驱动控制平行板对准的连杆。除了驱动机构外，还为机器人开发了用于其操作的鲁棒控制系统。该机器人通过在航空航天工业中大型有效载荷的标准规格——如立方星这类狭小受限空间内成功实现复杂的机器人机构，代表了空间机器人技术领域的一项重大进展。