Static Modeling of Continuum Robots by Circular Elements

This paper presents a new modeling approach for continuum robotic arms. A lot of efforts have been done on modeling statics and dynamics of continuum robots, andtwo main methods have been developed. One is suitable for static modeling, in in-plane loadings, where the sections of arobot experiences constant moments along their length. Theother method is the Theory of Cosserat rod, which gives a set of differential equations for statics and dynamics ofslender flexible rods. While this method provide suitable models for statics of continuum robots, its dynamic modelsare not practical, in the sense of numerical calculations. Themodeling approach proposed in this paper is based on dividing the robot into many circular elements. Using thisapproach, modeling of the statics of continuum robots will be presented. Then, the proposed model will be validatedusing experimental data, to show the precision of the model.Finally, the merit and potentials of this method will be discussed, in conclusion.

کلیدواژه ها:

Continuum robots ، static modeling ، circular elements