中文摘要：

柔性机构历经20年的发展已成为现代机构学一个重要分支,并在精密工程、机器人等领域得到了广泛应用。虽然涌现了一系列柔性机构设计方法与理论,但柔性机构的设计问题仍面临着挑战。主要针对柔性机构在精微领域的应用,从方法和技术的角度全面地概述柔性机构的研究进展。从宏观上对当前几种主流的柔性机构分析与及设计方法（包括伪刚体模型法、结构矩阵法、约束设计法、旋量理论拓扑综合法、模块法、结构优化设计法等）进行总结与比较,按照柔性机构的设计流程详述柔性机构在单元建模、构型综合、机构分析以及尺度综合等方面的国内外研究进展,对柔性机构设计理论的发展进行展望。

英文摘要：

Through the development in the past 20 years,the compliant mechanism has become an important branch of modern mechanisms and is widely applied in such fields as precision engineering and robotics.Although a series of design methods and theories of compliant mechanism have emerged,its design problem is still facing challenge.A comprehensive overview of design methods is provided for compliant mechanisms used for precision applications,usually called flexure mechanisms.Several main approaches to analysis and design of flexure mechanisms,including pseudo-rigid-body model,structural matrix model,constraint-based design,freedom and constraint topology synthesis based on screw theory,structural optimization,as well as building block approach,are summarized and compared.The state-of-arts of flexure mechanisms are covered according to the general design process for flexure mechanism,i.e.flexure element modeling,configuration synthesis,mechanism analysis and modeling,size synthesis and optimization.Prospects to the development of flexure mechanism design theory are made.