A Novel Continuum Trunk Robot Based on Contractor Muscles

We describe the design, construction, and operation of a novel continuous backbone “continuum” robot. Inspired by biological trunks and tentacles, the robot is actuated by the pneumatic muscles which form its structure. In contrast to previous designs, the actuators are contractor muscles, which decrease in length as pressure is increased. This choice of actuator results in novel and improved performance with respect to previous pneumatically actuated trunk robots, particularly in use as an active hook. We detail the design process, discuss construction issues, and describe the results of initial experiments using the robot. Key-Words: Robotics, continuum, trunk, tentacle, pneumatic, McKibben muscles