Unlocking the Potential of Cable-Driven Continuum Robots: A Comprehensive Review and Future Directions

Rigid robots have found wide-ranging applications in manufacturing automation, owing to their high loading capacity, high speed, and high precision. Nevertheless, these robots typically feature joint-based drive mechanisms, possessing limited degrees of freedom (DOF), bulky structures, and low manip...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inActuators Vol. 13; no. 2; p. 52
Main Authors Bai, Haotian, Lee, Boon Giin, Yang, Guilin, Shen, Wenjun, Qian, Shuwen, Zhang, Haohao, Zhou, Jianwei, Fang, Zaojun, Zheng, Tianjiang, Yang, Sen, Huang, Liang, Yu, Bohan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2024
Subjects
Analysis
cable-driven continuum robots
Cables
configuration design
Configuration management
Confined spaces
Control algorithms
Degrees of freedom
Dynamic response
Flexibility
kinematic and dynamic modelling
Kinematics
Load
Manufacturing
Modelling
Motion control
Motion planning
Redundancy
Robot dynamics
Robots
Shape memory alloys
China
Germany
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Summary:Rigid robots have found wide-ranging applications in manufacturing automation, owing to their high loading capacity, high speed, and high precision. Nevertheless, these robots typically feature joint-based drive mechanisms, possessing limited degrees of freedom (DOF), bulky structures, and low manipulability in confined spaces. In contrast, continuum robots, drawing inspiration from biological structures, exhibit characteristics such as high compliance, lightweight designs, and high adaptability to various environments. Among them, cable-driven continuum robots (CDCRs) driven by multiple cables offer advantages like higher dynamic response compared to pneumatic systems and increased working space and higher loading capacity compared to shape memory alloy (SMA) drives. However, CDCRs also exhibit some shortcomings, including complex motion, drive redundancy, challenging modeling, and control difficulties. This study presents a comprehensive analysis and summary of CDCR research progress across four key dimensions: configuration design, kinematics and dynamics modeling, motion planning, and motion control. The objective of this study is to identify common challenges, propose solutions, and unlock the full potential of CDCRs for a broader range of applications.
ISSN:2076-0825
2076-0825
DOI:10.3390/act13020052