Workspace Analysis of the Tendon-driven Continuum Robots with Different Numbers of Segments

Tendon-driven continuum robots (TDCRs) are extensively employed in medical equipment, rescue, and other fields. Currently, most studies solve the workspace of continuum robots based on a specific number of segments. There is no comparison between different numbers of segments. In this work, we explored the workspace of single- and two-stage TDCRs and compared the shape volume of the workspace. We implemented a kinematic modeling approach based on the constant curvature model to analyze the impact of segment numbers on the workspace. This efficient approach allowed us to compute the workspace of two different TDCRs with less computation time and draw the workspace volume. Therefore, we observe the effect of different numbers of segments of continuum robots on the robot's workspace. The results show that increasing the number of segments significantly enhances the robot's workspace and changes its shape and volume. This research provides practical insights into the effect of segment numbers on the workspace of TDCRs. This analysis can guide future TDCR planning and control, helping to identify the optimal segments for a given workspace and design strategies to maximize workspace efficiency.