Date of Award
5-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Legacy Department
Electrical Engineering
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Ian Walker
Committee Member
Dr. Keith Green
Committee Member
Dr. Richard Groff
Abstract
Continuum robots, which have continuous mechanical structures comparable to the flexibility in elephant trunks and octopus arms, have been primarily geared toward the medical and defense communities. In space, however, NASA projects these robots to have a place in irregular inspection routines. The inherent compliance and bending of these continuum arms are especially suitable for inspection in obstructed spaces to ensure proper equipment functionality. In this paper, we propose a new solution that improves on the functionality of previous continuum robots, via a novel mechanical scaly layer-jamming design. Layer-jamming assisted continuum arms have previously required pneumatic sources for actuation, which limit their portability and usage in aerospace applications. This paper combines the compliance of continuum arms and stiffness modulation of the layer jamming mechanism to design new hybrid layer jamming continuum arms. The novel designs use an electromechanical actuation which eliminates the previous need for pneumatic actuation therefore making the hardware compact and portable.
Recommended Citation
Santiago, Jessie Lee C., "Continuum Robots for Space Applications Based on Layer-Jamming Scales with Stiffness Capability" (2015). All Theses. 2169.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2169