Data-Driven Modeling and High-Precision Tracking Control of a Soft Continuum Manipulator: Enabling Robotic Sorting of Multiwire Cables

As a new class of robots, soft continuum manipulators have attracted attention due to their flexibility and compliance. However, these characteristics create challenges for precise modeling and control. This study proposes a hybrid offline and online data-driven scheme to achieve high-precision tracking control of a soft continuum manipulator. First, a novel multiscale deep neural network learns the manipulator model offline. Specifically, the feature fusion module extracts highly discriminative features and captures long-term dependencies from the temporal trajectory data. The self-attention module strengthens the ability to represent fusion features and enhances the model prediction accuracy. Then, the learnt model is updated using multisensor data online, and the proposed controller further compensates for the updated model and enhances the tracking accuracy in the movement stage. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in motion accuracy under different trajectory-tracking scenarios (i.e., deviations of <1 mm in position and <0.8° in orientation). The example of the multiwire cable sorting proves the feasibility of the proposed scheme in high-precision industrial applications.