Design and Control of Continuum Robot for Using with Solar Cell System

Abstract

Applications of continuum robot in the field of robotics facility have been advancing at a staggering pace due to their flexibility. The ability to control the continuum robot remotely and efficiently would be beneficial for many practical case, for example usage in narrow space, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures application. The ability to glide through complex curvilinear pathways makes it ideally suitable to be used with solar cell application as it could offer the movement that can follow the sun motion. This could enhance the efficiency of energy transformation of the solar cell as optimum radiation distance could be obtained. In this paper, the design of continuum robot with motion control to be used as solar cell installation supporting structure would be discussed. The continuum robot movement is controlled by an elastic backbone-liked structure. The controller is designed for closed loop control using Arduino programming. The effect of solar cell weight on the top with the maximum of 3 kg is considered. The structure movement required include bending, rotating, extension and compression. The research results showed that the designed system has a potential to be used as a solar cell installation support with smooth motion.