A Novel Passive Pretension Mechanism for Wire-Driven Discrete Continuum Manipulators

Abstract

Wire-driven mechanism in continuum manipulators is one the most popular force transmitting actuation system, and consistency of wire tension remains as the main problem. Therefore, in this research we propose a novel passive pretension mechanism to compensate for tension during working. The proposed mechanism is completely mechanical and does not contain any electronics, which enhances device reliability. In this research, we describe passive pretension mechanism (PtM) design, mathematical formulation and experimental analysis.