Tags:Mechanical Modeling, Medical Robotics and Tendon-driven Systems
Abstract:
Telescoping tendon-actuated flexible tubes are widely used in catheters, ureteroscopes, and other minimally invasive surgical devices. This work presents a preliminary mechanics-based model of these tubes consisting of a set of telescoping Cosserat rods actuated by Cosserat strings. The model correctly predicts the deformation of the tubes under loading, including the twist produced between individual tubes, which was previously unadressed in literature.