A twisting problem is identified from the central located flexible backbone continuum robot. Regarding this problem, a design solution is required to mechanically minimize this twisting angle along the backbone. Further, the error caused by the kinematic assumption of previous works is identified as well, which requires a kinematic solution to minimize. The scope of this paper is to introduce, describe and teste a novel design of continuum robot which has a twin-pivot compliant joint construction that minimizes the twisting around its axis. A kinematics model is introduced which can be applied to a wide range of twin-pivot construction with two pairs of cables per section design. And according to this model, the approach for minimising the kinematic error is developed. Furthermore, based on the geometry and material property of compliant joint, the work volumes for single/three-section continuum robot are presented, respectively. The kinematic analysis has been verified by a three-section prototype of continuum robot and adequate accuracy and repeatability tests carried out. And in the test, the system generates relatively small twisting angles when a range of end loads is applied at the end of the arm. Utilising the concept presented in this paper, it is possible to develop a continuum robot which can minimize the twisting angle and be accurately controlled. In this paper, a novel design of continuum robot which has a twin-pivot compliant joint construction that minimizes the twisting around its axis is introduced, described and tested. A kinematics model is introduced which can be applied to a wide range of twin-pivot construction with two pairs of cables per section design. Furthermore, based on the geometry and material property of compliant joint, the work volumes for single/three-section continuum robot are presented, respectively. Finally, the kinematic analysis has been verified by a three-section prototype of continuum and adequate accuracy and repeatability tests carried out.

From power plants on land to bridges over the sea, safety-critical built environments require periodic inspections for detecting issues to avoid functional discontinuities of these installations. However, navigation paths in these environments are usually challenging as they often contain difficult-to-access spaces (near-millimetre and submillimetre-high gaps) and multiple domains (solid, liquid and even aerial). In this paper, we address these challenges by developing a class of Thin Soft Robots (TS-Robot: thickness, 1.7 mm) that can access narrow spaces and perform cross-domain multimodal locomotion. We adopted a dual-actuation sandwich structure with a tuneable Poisson’s ratio tensioning mechanism for developing the TS-Robots driven by dielectric elastomers, providing them with two types of gaits (linear and undulating), remarkable output force ( ~ 41 times their weight) and speed (1.16 times Body Length/s and 13.06 times Body Thickness/s). Here, we demonstrated that TS-Robots can crawl, climb, swim and collaborate for transitioning between domains in environments with narrow entries.

This letter presents two long continuum robots, inserted through small holes, and working collaboratively in a crammed space to manipulate an extreme-temperature (>2000 °C) flame for coating repair on aeroengines without the need of their disassembly. One robot (Adder) carries a thermal spray nozzle while the other (Observer) carries cameras and a flame ignitor, supporting the locomotion and operation of the Adder, which was demonstrated on a real aeroengine offering advantages in both operational time and repair costs.