Modeling of the tendon-sheath actuation system

Abstract

Tendon-sheath actuation mechanism is preferred in many applications such as surgical robots, robotic hands, and exoskeleton robots because it can provide a kind of simple yet dexterous remote transmission mode. However, many undesirable nonlinear phenomena, like backlash and hysteresis, are presented due to the friction between the sheath and tendon. In this paper, based on our previous results, the research is furthered by modelling the position transmission models of the single-tendon-sheath system. Experiments were implemented to validate the models. Numerical simulation is developed to study the transmission characteristics of tendons and sheaths in pull-pull configuration. Both the torque and position transmission showed backlash-like and hysteresis-like characteristics.