Hybrid force/position control for quasi continuum manipulators

The inherent compliant and safe structure of fluid driven continuum manipulators makes them a promising solution for various tasks. Despite their cheap production costs these robots have yet not found their way into industrial applications. This is due to the lack of precise models as well as control strategies which are both open fields of research. A basic industrial task is to control the force the manipulator exerts at its tool center point on a given object. In this work we present a hybrid force/position controller (HFPC) for the Bionic Soft Arm (BSA). It is assumed that contact is only established at the tool center point where the contact force can be measured. Further, we show how to extend the basic HFPC approach in order to overcome model inaccuracies. Experimental results are provided for the BSA where the HFPC is incorporated into an existing structure.