A plate cam is connected to a base frame by hinged joint and the contour of the cam forms a surface that pushes on a follower. The connection of the follower to the base frame can be either a hinged or sliding joint to form a rotating and translating follower. The portion of the follower that contacts the cam can have any shape, such as a knife-edge, a roller, or flat-faced contact. As the cam rotates its contact with the follower face drives its output rotation or sliding movement.