Design of FDM-printable tendon-driven continuum robots using a serial S-shaped backbone structure

Kaidi Zhu, Tim C. Lueth, Yilun Sun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tendon-driven continuum robots (TDCR) are widely used in various engineering disciplines due to their exceptional flexibility and dexterity. However, their complex structure often leads to significant manufacturing costs and lengthy prototyping cycles. To cope with this problem, we propose a fused-deposition-modeling-printable (FDM-printable) TDCR structure design using a serial S-shaped backbone, which enables planar bending motion with minimized plastic deformation. A kinematic model for the proposed TDCR structure based on the pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) approach is developed. Experimental results have revealed that the proposed kinematic model can effectively predict the bending motion under certain tendon forces. In addition, analyses of mechanical hysteresis and factors influencing bending stiffness are conducted. Finally, A three-finger gripper is fabricated to demonstrate a possible application of the proposed TDCR structure.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100188
JournalBiomimetic Intelligence and Robotics
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2025

Keywords

  • Continuum robot
  • FDM printing
  • Mechanics modeling
  • Tendon-driven mechanism

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