Continuum Robot Cables and Hoses for Adaptive Inspection and Pumping

We describe the development and application of novel long, continuous backbone “hose and cable” robots. These “continuum” robots can actively control the bending along their compliant backbones. This feature allows them to both enter into, and maneuver and operate within, tight spaces in which neither conventional robots or people can access. Equipped with cameras and other sensors, these robots provide new capabilities in remote inspection, and when used as hoses, enable novel applications in dirty and dangerous environments. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of two such types of novel robots: (1) a long, thin “tendril cable” robot for remote visual inspection; and (2) a novel “active hose” robot for pumping viscous fluids. Both robots are remotely actuated via tendons routed along a hollow continuum backbone structure. We describe the design, construction, and implementation of these robots. We review the deployment of the cable robot in novel applications, including inspection of equipment racks on the International Space Station. Application of the hose robot to novel robotic 3D concrete applications, and the effects of the pumping dynamics on the operation of the hose robot is also discussed.