Equilibrium Conformation of a Novel Cable-Driven Snake-Arm Robot under External Loads

Abstract

Based on the anti-parallelogram mechanism, an approximate cylindrical rolling joint is proposed to develop a novel cable-driven snake-arm robot with multiple degrees of freedom (DOF). Furthermore, the kinematics of the cable-driven snake-arm robot are established, and the mapping between actuator space and joint space is simplified by bending decoupling motion in the multiple segments. The workspace and bending configurations of the robot are obtained. The static model is established by the principle of minimum potential energy. Furthermore, the simplified cable constraints in the static model are proposed through Taylor expansion, which facilitates the equilibrium conformation analysis of the robot under different external forces. The cable-driven snake-arm robot prototype is developed to verify the feasibility of the robot design and the availability of the static model through the experiments of the free bending motion and the external load on the robot.

Unlocking the Potential of Cable-Driven Continuum Robots: A Comprehensive Review and Future Directions

“…It is evident that the manipulator structure of both studies is relatively straightforward, providing only 2-DOF, making it particularly well-suited for theoretical research. [36,44,45]. This design adopts a modular approach, comprising multiple identical rod-driven joint modules in series (Figure 4).…”

“…Beginning in the last decade, researchers began to focus on the development of CDCRs, with notable advancements. Between 2010 and 2014, Yang et al at Nanyang Technological University introduced a cable-driven flexible snake-like robot prototype [36,44,45]. This design adopts a modular approach, comprising multiple identical roddriven joint modules in series (Figure 4).…”

“…Modular CDCR with Rod Type BackboneBeginning in the last decade, researchers began to focus on the development of CDCRs, with notable advancements. Between 2010 and 2014, Yang et al at Nanyang Technological University introduced a cable-driven flexible snake-like robot prototype[36,44,45]. This…”