Pose Estimation and Force Prediction of Non-Rigid Endoscopic Tool

Endoscopy is useful for inspecting features in hard-to-reach cavities, such as the blades inside a turbine engine with a flexible body and a semi-rigid bending section. It is hypothesized that an endoscope can be used to grind a predetermined amount of material to smooth the cracks on turbine blades in those cavities. By turning control knobs on the endoscope, the bending section can access a workpiece on its lateral direction. In this research, two models are built to estimate the pose (position and orientation) and force on a modified PENTAX ES-3801 endoscope. The experimental and estimated results prove that the pose and force of the flexible bending section can be predicted and monitored when subjected to varying loads.