Basics of Wire-driven Mechanism using Synthetic Fiber Ropes and Their Application to Robots

Abstract

In recent years, high-strength synthetic fiber ropes development has remarkably progressed. One of the ropes achieves two times higher tensile strength than a conventional stainless steel wire, while its weight is 1/5. Suppose we can utilize these synthetic fiber ropes as a wire-driven mechanism. In that case, it is possible to develop a high-performance robot mechanism that can not be achieved with conventional driving mechanisms. This paper introduces the basics of the wire-driven mechanism using synthetic fiber ropes and their application to robots developed by our research group.