A Model-Based Sliding-Mode Tracking Controller for Pneumatic Muscle Actuated Continuum Arms

Abstract

Pneumatic muscle actuator (PMA) multisection continuum arms are a class of continuum robotic manipulator which can bend and elongate with high flexibility. It presents challenges on kinematic modeling, dynamics modeling, and control. According to model shape functions, a modal kinematic model and a spatial dynamic model with numerical stability, we develop a model-based sliding mode controller used to demon-strate the effectiveness of these models and track desired trajec-tories precisely.