New cable-driven continuun robot with only one actuator

Abstract

This paper presents a new cable-driven continuum robot by using the time-based control method with only actuator. The continuum robot consists of 3 sections, and each section has 2 DOFs. It is driven by a constant speed motor connected to a series of electromagnetic clutches. The clutches will be activated for providing the motion of the cables. A new time-based control method named `Time Width Modulation' is proposed to control the continuum robot. Kinematics and workspace analyses are carried out. A prototype is built up and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design and control method.