Soft robotic manipulators are continuum robots made of soft materials that undergo continuous elastic deformation and produce motion with a smooth backbone curve. In many applications, these manipulators offer significant advantages over traditional manipulators due to their ability to conform to their surroundings, and manipulate objects of widely varying size using whole arm manipulation. Theoretically, soft robots have infinite degrees of freedom (DOF), but the number of sensors and actuators are limited. Many DOFs of soft robots are not directly observable and/or controllable, complicating shape estimation and control. In this paper, we present three methods of shape sensing for soft robotic manipulators based on a geometrically exact mechanical model. The first method uses load cells mounted at the base of the manipulator, the second method makes use of cable encoders running through the length of the manipulator, and the third method uses inclinometers mounted at the end of each section of the manipulator. Simulation results show an endpoint localization error of less than 3% of manipulator length with typical sensors. The methods are validated experimentally on the OctArm VI manipulator.
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Model-Based Shape Estimation for Soft Robotic Manipulators: The Planar Case
Deepak Trivedi,
One Research Circle,
e-mail: trivedid@ge.com
Deepak Trivedi
1
General Electric Global Research Center
,One Research Circle,
Niskayuna, NY 12309
e-mail: trivedid@ge.com
1Corresponding author.
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Christopher D. Rahn
Christopher D. Rahn
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: cdrahn@psu.edu
The Pennsylvania State University
,State College, PA 16802
e-mail: cdrahn@psu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Deepak Trivedi
General Electric Global Research Center
,One Research Circle,
Niskayuna, NY 12309
e-mail: trivedid@ge.com
Christopher D. Rahn
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: cdrahn@psu.edu
The Pennsylvania State University
,State College, PA 16802
e-mail: cdrahn@psu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Mechanisms and Robotics Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANISMS AND ROBOTICS. Manuscript received September 29, 2012; final manuscript received October 26, 2013; published online March 4, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Anupam Saxena.
J. Mechanisms Robotics. May 2014, 6(2): 021005 (11 pages)
Published Online: March 4, 2014
Article history
Received:
September 29, 2012
Revision Received:
October 26, 2013
Citation
Trivedi, D., and Rahn, C. D. (March 4, 2014). "Model-Based Shape Estimation for Soft Robotic Manipulators: The Planar Case." ASME. J. Mechanisms Robotics. May 2014; 6(2): 021005. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4026338
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