A ball-jointed tendon-driven continuum robot with multi-directional operability for grasping objects

Abstract

A continuum robot, inspired by biological features, flexibly bends its body and conforms to various shapes. The high compliance and low stiffness, however, causes low rigidity and ambiguity in control when it is applied to grasping and manipulating an object. In this study, we develop a ball-jointed tendon-driven continuum robot that can bend to arbitrary directions for manipulating and grasping an object. Discs are connected by ball joints, together with coil springs coupled with tendon threads, and form a backbone of the robotic body. The continuum robot is operated to bend to an arbitrary direction by pulling the tendons using three servomotors, and returns to the original straight shape by releasing the pulling force of the contracted coil springs. The robot is constructed by using 3D-printed parts. In the experiment, the ability of the multi-directional operation was tested by bending the continuum body to specific directions, and then performing arc-following motion. Furthermore, the manipulator's grasping performance was demonstrated by preparing five objects that have various shapes, sizes, and softness. The robot successfully grasped all the objects by wrapping around them and adapting its shape to the object's shapes. The experiments verified the satisfactory operability of the continuum robot.