Design and Build a General Purpose Continuum Mobile Manipulator

Lim, Kwong Yung (2023) Design and Build a General Purpose Continuum Mobile Manipulator. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The aim of this project was to design and build a general-purpose continuum mobile manipulator, which combines a mecanum wheel mobile robot with a tendon-driven continuum manipulator. The unique design of the continuum manipulator allows it to perform complex and precise movements in various environments. The project involved a comprehensive literature review of related works on continuum robots, mobile robots, and mobile manipulators. The review focused on the concepts and theories behind these technologies, as well as mechanical design, kinematics models, and applications. A total of 21 related works were reviewed and analyzed to help in the development of the prototype. A continuum mobile manipulator prototype was built and its functionality, reachability, and flexibility had been tested. The prototype was designed to address the limitations of conventional rigid-link robots, which offer the advantages such as increased reachability and the ability to navigate narrow spaces. This project also explored the potential applications of the continuum mobile manipulator, including inspection tasks. ESP32- Cam was used for live video streaming to perform real-time visual feedback during inspections. As a result, the project successfully achieved its objectives where the design and construction of the continuum mobile manipulator prototype, as well as testing its functionality, reachability, and flexibility have been successfully carried out. However, there were still limitations and areas for potential improvement of the robot to increase the accuracy and functionality of the robot. This continuum mobile manipulator has potential for use in various environments, especially working with human beings under the same workspace safely. At last, this project contributes to the ongoing development of continuum robots and mobile manipulators, which could have far-reaching applications in various fields.