Numerical Optimization-based Kinematics with Pose Tracking Control for Continuum Robots

Abstract

In this paper, we employ multiple IMUs into a triple-section continuum manipulator to precisely capture the attitude data of each section’s end disk. Leveraging the sensory and mechanical hardware system, we construct a sophisticated coordinate transformation scheme to accurately identify the detailed configuration states of the manipulator. Additionally, we introduce a numerical optimization strategy to develop a unified forward and inverse kinematic modeling framework, ensuring both iterative efficiency and accuracy. Through the IMUs’ real-time attitude feedback, we implement a closed-loop controller, enhancing the manipulator’s operational robustness and agility. In our experimental evaluations, we assess the convergence performance of both forward and inverse kinematics within a simulated environment and validate the precision of these kinematic models through real-time experiments on an actual continuum manipulator. Moreover, we evaluate the performance of the proposed controller by examining its accuracy during the manipulator’s continuous motions and analyzing its response characteristics. In contrast to previous research on continuum robots in the literature, we pioneer a fully integrated kinematic control architecture that is successfully implemented on a physical continuum robotic system.