Real-time adaptive motion planning for a continuum manipulator

Continuum manipulators, featuring “continuous backbone structures”, are promising for deft manipulation of a wide range of objects under uncertain conditions in less-structured and cluttered environments. A multi-section trunk/tentacle robot is such a continuum manipulator. With a continuum robot, manipulation means a continuous whole-arm motion, often without a clear distinction between transport and grasping. In this paper, we address the novel problem of real-time motion planning for such a robot under uncertain conditions. We present an algorithm for on-line planning the motion of a planar continuum robot for grasping a target object amid an environment of other objects with uncertain movements. Our algorithm substantially extends the RAMP paradigm for real-time adaptive motion planning to this new form of whole-arm manipulation. Simulation results are promising, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.