Imperial College London
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ProfessorFerdinandoRodriguez y Baena

Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Co-Director of Hamlyn Centre, Professor of Medical Robotics
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7046f.rodriguez Website

 
 
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Location

 

B415CBessemer BuildingSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Garriga:2018:10.1177/0278364917746222,
author = {Garriga, Casanovas A and Rodriguez, y Baena F},
doi = {10.1177/0278364917746222},
journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research},
pages = {197--222},
title = {Complete follow-the-leader kinematics using concentric tube robots},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0278364917746222},
volume = {37},
year = {2018}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Concentric tube robots offer the capability of follow-the-leader motion, which is desirable when navigating in cluttered environments, such as in minimally invasive surgery or in-situ inspections. The follow-the-leader capabilities identified in the existing literature, however, are limited to trajectories with piecewise constant-curvature segments or piecewise helical segments. A complete study of follow-the-leader kinematics is, therefore, relevant to determine the full potential of these robots, and clarify an open question. In this paper, a general analysis of follow-the-leader motion is presented, and a closed-form solution to the complete set of trajectories where follow-the-leader is possible under the assumption of no axial torsion of the tubes composing the robot is derived. For designs with constant-stiffness tubes, the precurvatures required are found to be either circumference arcs, helices, or deformed helices with exponentially varying curvature magnitude. The analysis developed also elucidates additional motions of interest, such as the combination of follow-the-leader motion in a robot segment with general maneuvers in another part. To determine the applicability of the assumption regarding the tubes’ torsion, the general equilibrium of the robot designs of interest is considered, and a closed-form solution to torsion in two-tube robots with helical precurvatures is derived. Criteria to select a desired torsional behavior are then extracted. This enables one to identify stable trajectories where follow-the-leader is possible, for potential application to minimally invasive surgery. An illustrative case study involving simulation and experiment is conceived using one of these trajectories, and the results are reported, showcasing the research.
AU  - Garriga,Casanovas A
AU  - Rodriguez,y Baena F
DO  - 10.1177/0278364917746222
EP  - 222
PY  - 2018///
SN  - 0278-3649
SP  - 197
TI  - Complete follow-the-leader kinematics using concentric tube robots
T2  - International Journal of Robotics Research
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0278364917746222
UR  - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0278364917746222
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/53684
VL  - 37
ER  -
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