Abstract
Despite research related to flexible or continuum curvilinear robots, there lacks a common simulation tool for continuum robots, which are unlike rigid robots. Thus, in this paper, a robotics toolbox is utilized to model a wire-driven flexible manipulator as one of the continuum robots. Constant curvature property can enable the robotics toolbox to represent the flexible manipulator and validate its kinematics. Moreover, because the closed-form inverse kinematics methods developed previously for real-time control conceded limitations in modeling some continuum robots, we hereby develop an inverse kinematics method for the wire-driven flexible manipulator which can provide fast and reliable inverse results. Experimental results showed that geometrical information offered a stable starting point for the proposed inverse kinematics algorithm. Moreover, the first and second derivatives of a fitness function further contributed to a fast-converging solution within a few microseconds. Lastly, for the potential feasibility of an active compliance controller without physical force/torque sensors, a reaction torque observer was investigated for a flexible manipulator with direct drive mechanisms.
Highlights
To improve efficiency and curvilinear accessibility in medical, service, and industry fields, new curvilinear robotic technologies called flexible or continuum robots have emerged
Continuum robots [1] have inherent compliance, curvilinear accessibility, are relatively lightweight, and have high dexterity, which can be suitable for unstructured or confined environments such as the human body [2,3]. These continuum robots are typically operated by shape memory alloy (SMA) [4], electroactive polymer (EAP) [5], pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) [6], piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) [7], electric motors with wires or tendon transmissions [8], combinations of concentric tubes [9], etc
This paper describes a new mathematical formulation for a wire-driven flexible manipulator (WDM) as one of the continuum robots for forward and especially inverse kinematics, as well as utilization of the MATLAB robotics toolbox [21]
Summary
To improve efficiency and curvilinear accessibility in medical, service, and industry fields, new curvilinear robotic technologies called flexible or continuum robots have emerged. Continuum robots [1] have inherent compliance, curvilinear accessibility, are relatively lightweight, and have high dexterity, which can be suitable for unstructured or confined environments such as the human body [2,3]. These continuum robots are typically operated by shape memory alloy (SMA) [4], electroactive polymer (EAP) [5], pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) [6], piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) [7], electric motors with wires or tendon transmissions [8], combinations of concentric tubes [9], etc. IK studies for continuum robots are listed in Table 1 and well-organized summaries of the kinematics of the continuum robot were reported in [6,20]
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