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Model-aided 3D shape and force estimation of continuum robots based on Cosserat rod theory and using a magnetic localization system

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Abstract

Continuum robots (CRs) are promising tools for safe interaction with a complex environment. The force caused by the contact of the CR with the obstacles in a cluttered environment can change its shape. To improve the robot’s performance in a constrained environment, an accurate estimation of the contact force and shape of the robot is necessary. To address this problem, this paper suggests an optimization-based method that simultaneously estimates the shape and the forces acting on the CR by employing the quasi-static Cosserat model in 3D. The position of multiple points on the robot, as an input, is determined utilizing magnetic localization without need to the line of sight. The proposed method is capable of estimation of the robot shape and force in wide range of conditions, from the case where the number and position of contact forces are known and their magnitude and direction are to be estimated to the case no force information is available. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method in realistic conditions, several experiments were conducted. Experiments for the two forces case show 4.8% and 10% error in the magnitude of the estimated force for magnetic and stereo vision based localization systems, respectively.

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Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nanorobotics Laboratory, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Masoud Yousefi, Mohamad Jamshidian Ghaleshahi & Hossein Nejat Pishkenari

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Aria Alasty

Authors
  1. Masoud Yousefi
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  2. Mohamad Jamshidian Ghaleshahi
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  3. Hossein Nejat Pishkenari
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  4. Aria Alasty
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Correspondence to Hossein Nejat Pishkenari.

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Yousefi, M., Jamshidian Ghaleshahi, M., Nejat Pishkenari, H. et al. Model-aided 3D shape and force estimation of continuum robots based on Cosserat rod theory and using a magnetic localization system. Intel Serv Robotics 16, 471–484 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-023-00469-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-023-00469-3

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