Straight-line mechanism

Straight-line mechanisms are used in a variety of applications, such as engines, vehicle suspensions, walking robots, and rover wheels.

To find a solution to the problem, the first straight line mechanism was developed by James Watt, for guiding the piston of early steam engines.

Perfect straight line linkages were later discovered in the nineteenth century, but they weren't as needed, as by then other techniques for machining had been developed.

The Scott Russell linkage (1803) translates linear motion through a right angle, but is not a straight line mechanism in itself.

The straight-line sinusoidal motion produces no second-order inertial forces, which simplifies balancing in high-speed machines.