Florin Manta

3D Control for a Tronconic Tentacle

This paper deals with the control problem, simulation and implementation, for a class of hyper redundant manipulators – a tronconic tentacle arms. A tentacle robot produces changes of configuration using a continuous backbone made of sections which bend. A tentacle arm has a variable length and theoretically it can achieve any position and orientation in 3D space. A tentacle arm prototype was designed and the practical realization is now running. A solution for kinematics of this arm is presented.

Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robotic System Requirements Analysis

The paper presents the need for upper limb rehabilitation and gives one possible solution with rehabilitation robotics. The research objectives, medical and technical requirements analysis for an upper limb rehabilitation robotic system are presented. Designing a usable upper limb rehabilitation robotic system must address the needs of its users.

Control by position sensors for a hyper-redundant robot

The paper treats the control problem for a class of hyper-redundant robots characterized by elastic backbone. The dynamic model of this system is analyzed. A measuring system based on curvature film sensors is proposed and an optical placement technique of sensors is discussed. A control algorithm is introduced by using the concept of boundary geometric control and a weighted state control method. Numerical simulations and experimental results illustrate the presented methods.

3D Control for a Truncated Cone Tentacle Kinematics

This paper presents the architecture, simulation, implementation and control problem for a class of continuum manipulators – the truncated cone tentacle arm. Desired shape for a tentacle robot is obtained by bending each of the three serial connected sections of a continuous backbone. Such tentacle arm has a fixed length but it can achieve any position and orientation in 3D space. A tentacle arm prototype was designed and the practical realization is now running. For this prototype we present a finite element model, for simulation purposes, we propose a kinematic model to be used in the control structure, and we conducted a series of tests regarding the structure behavior, using both sensor and artificial vision analysis. In this paper we present the results of our work.