Rod models in continuum and soft robot control: a review

Abstract

Continuum and soft robots can transform diverse sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, marine, and space, thanks to their potential to adaptively interact with unstructured environments. These robots exhibit complex mechanics that pose diverse challenges in modeling and control. Among various models, continuum mechanical models based on rod theories can effectively capture the deformations of slender bodies in contact-rich scenarios. This structured review paper focuses on the role of rod models in continuum and soft robot control with a vertical approach. We provide a comprehensive summary of the mathematical background underlying the four main rod theories applied in soft robotics and their variants. Then, we review the literature on rod models applied to continuum and soft robots, providing a novel categorization in deformation classes. Finally, we survey recent model-based and learning-based control strategies leveraging rod models, highlighting their potential in real-world manipulation. We critically discuss the trends, advantages, limitations, research gaps, and possible future developments of rod models. This paper aims to guide researchers who intend to simulate and control new soft robots while providing feedback to the design and manufacturing community.