Modelling of Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot Based on Constraint Analysis and Pseudo-Rigid Body Model

Congratulations to Charles and Shao for the acceptance of "Modelling of Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot Based on Constraint Analysis and Pseudo-Rigid Body Model" for publication in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. This work investigates the internal force interaction between the actuation tendons and the flexible backbone of a planar continuum robot via the constraint analysis method. The method systematically derives all the relevant governing equations required for the system, and can efficiently solve for the direct and inverse kinetostatic models with either forces or displacements as the actuation inputs. We validate the proposed CA method using numerical simulation of a benchmark model and experimental data.