Continuum worm-like robotic mechanism with decentral control architecture

Flexible continuum robots are utilized for operational areas, in which discretely structured robots are not suitable due to their kinematic limitations. Continuum mechanisms feature adaptiveness, which is a prerequisite for constrained spaces. Furthermore, such robots can be integrated within human-robot interaction scenarios. The crucial contribution of this work is a novel intrinsic continuum worm-like robot based on a modular and decentral control architecture. It is actuated by pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), which result in an inherently compliant robotic system. To realize the modularity, the setup deploys a central air supply that feeds locally arranged valve cluster units, which are connected with short stub lines. Keeping the supply tubes between the valves and the PAMs short, guarantees a very direct control with good precision. This paper presents an implementation of a continuum robot with four segments comprising twelve degrees of freedom.