Actuator and platform testing

Along with the fabrication phase, the performance of the pneumatic actuators was tested, as well as the real behavior of the "Stewart platform"-like section of the manipulator.

The initial test conducted on a 5cm long actuator showed that a maximum extension of 47% (2.35cm) could be obtained when a pressure of 0.3 bars is applied. If the cavity pressure increases further, the actuator deforms radially. It is then important to operate the actuator inside the pressure range of 0 – 0.3 bars.

A preliminary test of the real behavior of the pneumatic based Stewart platform was conducted. This test was done without the cable actuators.

Bibliography

Robinson et al. (1999) Continuum robots-a state of the art

Walker et al. (2013) Continuous backbone “continuum” robot manipulators

McMahan et al. (2005) Design and implementation of a multi-section continuum robot: Air-Octor

Neppalli et al. (2007) Design, construction, and analysis of a continuum robot

Bosman et al. (2015) Domain decomposition approach for FEM quasistatic modeling and control of Continuum Robots with rigid vertebras

Duriez, et al. (2008) Contact skinning

Duriez et al. (2013) Control of elastic soft robots based on real-time finite element method

Contributors

Thor Bieze

Frédérick Largillière

Sandra Hage Chehade

Mario Sanz Lopez

Christian Duriez