Kinematics, dynamics and control of stiffness-tunable soft robots

Abstract

Modeling and control methods for stiffness-tunable soft robots (STSRs) have received less attention compared to standard soft robots. A major challenge in controlling STSRs is their infinite degrees of freedom, similar to standard soft robots. In this paper, demonstrate a novel STSR by combing a soft-rigid hybrid spine-mimicking actuator with a stiffness-tunable module. Additionally, we introduce a new kinematic and dynamic modeling methodology for the proposed STSR. Based on the STSR characteristics, we model it as a series of PRP segments, each composed of two prismatic joints(P) and one revolute joint(R). This method is simpler, more generalizable, and more computationally efficient than existing approaches. We also design a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) controller that directly adjusts the pressure of the STSR’s three pneumatic chambers to precisely control its posture. Both the novel modeling methodology and MIMO control system are implemented and validated on the proposed STSR prototype.