A Truss-type Deployable Manipulator Actuated by Parallel Twisted and Coiled Nylon Fiber Actuator

Traditional manipulator will become very large and bulky if it is used to grasp large objects. In order to solve this problem, a new truss-type deployable manipulator actuated by a parallel twisted and coiled nylon fiber actuator (PTCNYA) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the truss-type structure is used in the design of the manipulator, then a deployable mechanism is also applied in the design, and a new type of lightweight PTCNYA is designed for the driving of the manipulator. These make the manipulator very lightweight and have a high stiffness-to-mass ratio, and it is also foldable into a compact form for convenience of storage and transportation. Secondly, the kinematic model of the manipulator unit and the dynamic model of the PTCNYA are built. Thirdly, the control system of the manipulator is designed and implemented. At the same time, a controller based on the dynamic model for the PTCNYA is also proposed. Finally, the deployment experiment, trajectory experiment, and grasping experiment are conducted under the physical prototype to show the feasibility of the proposed manipulator.