Forward kinematics analysis of the 6-3 SPM by using neural networks

A feed-forward neural network has been trained using backpropagation algorithm to solve the forward kinematics problem of the 6-3 Stewart Platform Mechanism (SPM). The forward kinematics problem of the SPM does not have a unique solution since it involves solving a polynomial of order 16. Purely translational, purely rotational and general spatial data sets have been used in training and testing, and then an optimization procedure has been applied to fine-tune the solution. The method yields results fast and accurate enough such that it can be used instead of a gyro and a position sensor for real time control of the mechanism.