Initial State Update-Based Position Control of Flexible Continuum Manipulators Utilizing Virtual Actuation Space

Continuum manipulators have proven their importance in applications requiring high articulation and their use in confined space usability. However, their control continues to remain a challenge. This paper proposes a novel control method for tendon-driven flexible continuum manipulators (FCMs). The proposed kinematic control exploits the fact that any three-dimensional motion of the FCM can be transformed into planar motion along a bending plane. Thus, a virtual actuation space is proposed with a virtual tendon and the angle of the bending plane as inputs with continuous adjustment of the initial state of FCM. A detailed formulation of the control methodology in the virtual actuation space is discussed in the paper. The methodology is validated experimentally for multiple positions with errors around 5% to 10%.