parallel robots differ greatly from their serial counterparts in terms of performance and mechanical ability. serial robots are open chained mechanisms since each link is connected to an adjacent one and each joint is actuated, while parallel robots implement a closed chained structure. this type of structure consists of having the endpoint of each kinematic chain connected to one another, hence called the common point. there can be a multitude of kinematic chains, but each chain utilizes only one actuator located near the base of the system to perform the desired operation.