General Kinetostatic Modeling and Deformation Analysis of a Two-Module Rod-Driven Continuum Robot with Friction Considered

Abstract Continuum robots actuated by flexible rods have large potential applications, such as detection and operation tasks in confined environments, since the push and pull actuation of flexible rods withstand tension and compressive force, and increase the structure’s rigidity. In this paper, a generalized kinetostatics model for multi-module and multi-segment continuum robots considering the effect of friction based on the Cosserat rod theory is established. Then, the model is applied to a two-module rod-driven continuum robot with winding ropes to analyze its deformation and load characteristics. Four different in-plane configurations under the external load term as S1, S2, C1, and C2 are defined. Taking a bending plane as an example, the tip deformation along the x-axis of these shapes is simulated and compared, which shows that the load capacity of C1 and C2 is generally larger than that of S1 and S2. Furthermore, the deformation experiments and simulations show that the maximum error ratio without external loads relative to the total length is no more than 3%, and it is no more than 4.7% under the external load. The established kinetostatics model is proven sufficient to accurately analyze the rod-driven continuum robot with the consideration of internal friction.