Developing a Kinematically Similar Master Device for Extensible Continuum Robot Manipulators

Abstract

We introduce a novel input device for the teleoperation of extensible continuum robots. As opposed to previous works limited by kinematically dissimilar master devices or restricted degrees-of-freedom (DoF), a kinematically similar input device capable of 9DoF is designed and used. The device is capable of achieving configurations identical to a three-section continuum robot and simplifies the teleoperation of such manipulators. In this paper, we outline the design of the input device and its construction. Implementation of the new master device and its effectiveness in regulating a physical system is also discussed.