SummaryCable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) possess a lot of advantages over conventional parallel manipulators and link-based robot manipulators in terms of acceleration due to their low inertia. This paper deals with under-constrained CDPRs, which manipulate the end-effector to carrying the payload by using a number of cables less than six, often used preferably owing to their simple structures. Since a smaller number of cables than six are used, the end-effector of CDPR has uncontrollable degrees of freedom and that causes swaying motion and oscillations. In this paper, a scheme to curb on the unwanted oscillation of the end-effector of the CDPR with three cables is proposed based on multimode input shaping. The precise dynamic model of the under-constrained CDPR is obtained to find natural frequencies, which depends on the position of the end-effector. The advantage of the proposed method is that it is practicable to generate the trajectories for vibration suppression based on multi-mode input-shaping scheme in spite of the complexity in the dynamics and the difficulty in computing the natural frequencies of the CDPR, which are required in any input-shaping scheme. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed method, computer simulations and experiments were carried out by using 3-D motion for CDPR with three cables.

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In the field of visual science study using rodents, several assessment methods have been developed for measuring visual function. However, methods such as electroretinograms tests, visual evoked potentials tests and maze tests have limitations in that they measure function of only a specific type of cells, are difficult to quantify or require sufficient training time. The method which uses an optokinetic reflex and optomotor response, a compensatory eye and head movement in response to changes in the visual scene, became the most widely used method. However, this method requires highly trained experimenters and is time consuming. We showed that measured visual acuity values are significantly different between beginner and expert. Here we suggest an automated optometry program, ‘SKY optomotry’, which automatically tracks rodents’ optomotor response to overcome subjectivity and the lengthy scoring procedure of the existing method. To evaluate the performance of SKY optomotry using 8–12-week-old C57BL/6 mice we compared the binomial decision of SKY optomotry with a skilled expert, and the area under the curve of SKY optomotry was 0.845. Comparing the final visual acuity, the intraclass correlation coefficient value between SKY optomotry and an expert was 0.860 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.709–0.928), whereas that between an expert and a beginner was 0.642 (95% CI 0.292–0.811). SKY optomotry showed an excellent level of performance with good inter-rater agreements based on the visual acuity measured by an expert. With the use of our application, researchers will be able to test an experimental animal's eyesight more accurately while saving time on specialized training.