Continuum manipulators can improve spatial adaptability and operational flexibility in constrained environments by endowing them with contraction and extension capabilities. There are currently desired requirements to quantify the shape of an extensible continuum manipulator for strengthening its obstacle avoidance capability and end-effector position accuracy. To address these issues, this study proposes a methodology of using silicone rubber strain sensors (SRSS) to estimate the shape of an extensible continuum manipulator. The way is to measure the strain at specific locations on the deformable body of the manipulator, and then reconstruct the shape by integrating the information from all sensors. The slender sensors are fabricated by a rolling process that transforms planar silicone rubber sensors into cylindrical structures. The proprioceptive model relationship between the strain of the sensor and the deformation of the manipulator is established with considering the phenomenon of torsion of the manipulator caused by compression. The physically extensible continuum manipulator equipped with three driving tendons and nine SRSS was designed. Comprehensive evaluations of various motion trajectories indicate that this method can accurately reconstruct the shape of the manipulator, especially under end-effector loads. The experimental results demonstrate that the mean (maximum) absolute position error of the endpoint is 1.61% (3.45%) of the manipulator length.

中文翻译：

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基于软传感器的可扩展连续体机械手的形状重建。


Continuum 机械手可以通过赋予其收缩和扩展功能来提高受限环境中的空间适应性和操作灵活性。目前需要量化可扩展连续机械手的形状，以加强其避障能力和末端执行器位置精度。为了解决这些问题，本研究提出了一种使用硅橡胶应变传感器 （SRSS） 来估计可扩展连续机械手形状的方法。方法是测量机械手可变形体上特定位置的应变，然后通过整合来自所有传感器的信息来重建形状。细长型传感器通过轧制工艺制造，将平面硅橡胶传感器转变为圆柱形结构。在考虑机械手受压引起的扭转现象的基础上，建立了传感器应变与机械手变形之间的本体感受模型关系。设计了配备 3 个驱动筋和 9 个 SRSS 的物理可伸展连续体机械手。对各种运动轨迹的综合评估表明，该方法能够准确重建机械手的形状，尤其是在末端执行器载荷下。实验结果表明，端点的平均（最大）绝对位置误差为机械臂长度的 1.61% （3.45%）。