Snake-Like Units Using Flexible Backbones and Actuation Redundancy for Enhanced Miniaturization

— This paper reports some recent analysis and modeling results obtained while developing a tele-robotic system for minimally invasive surgery of the throat. One of the main enabling components of this system is a Distal Dexterity Unit that implements a novel design using a flexible multi-backbone snake-like unit with actuation redundancy and push-pull actuation. The design of this snake-like unit is compared to other alternative designs that use a single flexible-backbone and wire-actuation. A unified kinematic and virtual work model is used to perform this comparison between a multi-backbone snake like unit with an equaldiameter snake-like unit using a single flexible backbone and wire actuation. The comparison is presented for several actuation redundancy resolutions that minimize the load on the flexible backbones. The results show that the multibackbone design is superior to the alternative wire-actuated designs using a single flexible backbone. The advantages manifest in smaller...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Nabil Simaan
• Keywords: Actuation Redundancy, ICRA 2005, Robotics, Single Flexible Backbone, Snake-like Unit