Design and Control of Rope-driven Flexible Manipulator with Variable Stiffness

Because of its flexible structure, the flexible manipulator can carry out operations through small and complex Spaces, but its bearing capacity is often low, which greatly affects the accuracy of its operations. In this paper, a novel rope-driven flexible manipulator structure with variable stiffness(RDFM-VS) is proposed, which is adjusted by the tension of the rope against the cross-axis bending pivot(CAFP) in the modular joint. The kinematic analysis of the flexible manipulator is carried out, and the corresponding mathematical model is established. Then the mechanical analysis of CAFP is carried out, the variable stiffness mechanism is expounded, and the relationship between the tension of the rope and the stiffness of the flexible manipulator is obtained. Finally, the prototype of the flexible manipulator system is made, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the designed flexible manipulator with variable stiffness and its control system are verified by experiments.