Load bearing, compliant manipulator using non-linear frictional elements

Tendon driven continuum manipulators have advantages such as being able to deform around and through their environment, but this typically comes at the cost of reduced precision and load bearing capabilities. This paper presents a strong, compliant manipulator system using a rigid-link tendon driven manipulator controlled by a novel compliant drive mechanism. Numerical simulations show that this new manipulator can help to address the stiffness/compliance trade-off by exploiting a compliant drive and a stiff manipulator at the same time. A proof-of-principle real-world prototype demonstrates how the manipulator's compliance enables conformation to the shape of a soft and compressible object while its stiffness can support an object more than 15 times its own weight.