TY - GEN
T1 - Implementation of a Cosserat Rod-Based Configuration Tracking Controller on a Multi-Segment Soft Robotic Arm
AU - Doroudchi, Azadeh
AU - Qiao, Zhi
AU - Zhang, Wenlong
AU - Berman, Spring
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 IEEE.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Controlling soft continuum robotic arms is challenging due to their hyper-redundancy and dexterity. In this paper we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, closed-loop control of the configuration space variables of a soft robotic arm, composed of independently controllable segments, using a Cosserat rod model of the robot and the distributed sensing and actuation capabilities of the segments. Our controller solves the inverse dynamic problem by simulating the Cosserat rod model in MATLAB using a computationally efficient numerical solution scheme, and it applies the computed control output to the actual robot in real time. The position and orientation of the tip of each segment are measured in real time, while the remaining unknown variables that are needed to solve the inverse dynamics are estimated simultaneously in the simulation. We implement the controller on a multi-segment silicone robotic arm with pneumatic actuation, using a motion capture system to measure the segments' positions and orientations. The controller is used to reshape the arm into configurations that are achieved through combinations of bending and extension deformations in 3D space. Although the possible deformations are limited for this robot platform, our study demonstrates the potential for implementing the control approach on a wide range of continuum robots in practice. The resulting tracking performance indicates the effectiveness of the controller and the accuracy of the simulated Cosserat rod model.
AB - Controlling soft continuum robotic arms is challenging due to their hyper-redundancy and dexterity. In this paper we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, closed-loop control of the configuration space variables of a soft robotic arm, composed of independently controllable segments, using a Cosserat rod model of the robot and the distributed sensing and actuation capabilities of the segments. Our controller solves the inverse dynamic problem by simulating the Cosserat rod model in MATLAB using a computationally efficient numerical solution scheme, and it applies the computed control output to the actual robot in real time. The position and orientation of the tip of each segment are measured in real time, while the remaining unknown variables that are needed to solve the inverse dynamics are estimated simultaneously in the simulation. We implement the controller on a multi-segment silicone robotic arm with pneumatic actuation, using a motion capture system to measure the segments' positions and orientations. The controller is used to reshape the arm into configurations that are achieved through combinations of bending and extension deformations in 3D space. Although the possible deformations are limited for this robot platform, our study demonstrates the potential for implementing the control approach on a wide range of continuum robots in practice. The resulting tracking performance indicates the effectiveness of the controller and the accuracy of the simulated Cosserat rod model.
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U2 - 10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10342160
DO - 10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10342160
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85182524766
T3 - IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
SP - 620
EP - 626
BT - 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2023
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2023
Y2 - 1 October 2023 through 5 October 2023
ER -