Tendon-Actuated Robots with a Tapered, Flexible Polymer Backbone: Design, Fabrication, and Modeling

This paper presents the design, modeling, and fabrication of 3D-printed, tendon-actuated continuum robots featuring a flexible, tapered backbone constructed from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Our scalable design incorporates an integrated electronics base housing that enables direct tendon tension control and sensing via actuators and compression load cells. Unlike many continuum robots that are single-purpose and costly, the proposed design prioritizes customizability, rapid assembly, and low cost while enabling high curvature and enhanced distal compliance through geometric tapering, thereby supporting a broad range of compliant robotic inspection and manipulation tasks. We develop a generalized forward kinetostatic model of the tapered backbone based on Cosserat rod theory using a Newtonian approach, extending existing tendon-actuated Cosserat rod formulations to explicitly account for spatially varying backbone cross-sectional geometry. The model captures the graded stiffness profile induced by the tapering and enables systematic exploration of the configuration space as a function of the geometric design parameters. Specifically, we analyze how the backbone taper angle influences the robot's configuration space and manipulability. The model is validated against motion capture data, achieving centimeter-level shape prediction accuracy after calibrating Young's modulus via a line search that minimizes modeling error. We further demonstrate teleoperated grasping using an endoscopic gripper routed along the continuum robot, mounted on a 6-DoF robotic arm. Parameterized iLogic/CAD scripts are provided for rapid geometry generation and scaling. The presented framework establishes a simple, rapid, and reproducible pathway from parametric design to controlled tendon actuation for tapered, tendon-driven continuum robots manufactured using fused deposition modeling 3D printers.

Pose Estimation of a Thruster-Driven Bioinspired Multi-Link Robot

This work demonstrates pose (position and shape) estimation for a free-floating, bioinspired multi-link robot with unactuated joints, link-mounted thrusters for control, and a single gyroscope per link, resulting in an underactuated, minimally sensed platform. Through a proof-of-concept hardware experiment and offline Kalman filter analysis, we show that the robot's pose can be reliably estimated. State estimation is performed using an unscented Kalman filter augmented with Gaussian process residual learning to compensate for non-zero-mean, non-Gaussian noise. We further show that a filter trained on a multi-gait dataset (forward, backward, left, right, and turning) performs comparably to one trained on a larger forward-gait-only dataset when both are evaluated on the same forward-gait test trajectory. These results reveal overlap in the gait input space, which can be exploited to reduce training data requirements while enhancing the filter's generalizability across multiple gaits.

Nonlinear Modeling and Observability of a Planar Multi-Link Robot with Link Thrusters

This work is motivated by the development of cooperative teams of small, soft underwater robots designed to accomplish complex tasks through collective behavior. These robots take inspiration from biology: salps are gelatinous, jellyfish-like marine animals that utilize jet propulsion for maneuvering and can physically connect to form dynamic chains of arbitrary shape and size. The primary contributions of this research are twofold: first, we adapt a planar nonlinear multi-link snake robot model to model a planar multi-link salp-inspired system by removing joint actuators, introducing link thrusters, and allowing for non-uniform link lengths, masses, and moments of inertia. Second, we conduct a nonlinear observability analysis of the multi-link system with link thrusters, showing that the link angles, angular velocities, masses, and moments of inertia are locally observable when equipped with inertial measurement units and operating under specific thruster conditions. This research provides a theoretical foundation for modeling and estimating both the state and intrinsic parameters of a multi-link system with link thrusters, which are essential for effective controller design and performance.

Optimal Fiducial Marker Placement for Satellite Proximity Operations Using Observability Gramians

This paper investigates optimal fiducial marker placement on the surface of a satellite performing relative proximity operations with an observer satellite. The absolute and relative translation and attitude equations of motion for the satellite pair are modeled using dual quaternions. The observability of the relative dual quaternion system is analyzed using empirical observability Gramian methods. The optimal placement of a fiducial marker set, in which each marker gives simultaneous optical range and attitude measurements, is determined for the pair of satellites. A geostationary flyby between the observing body (chaser) and desired (target) satellites is numerically simulated and the optimal fiducial placement sets of five and ten on the surface of the desired satellite are solved. It is shown that the optimal solution maximizes the distance between fiducial markers and selects marker locations that are most sensitive to measuring changes in the state during the nonlinear trajectory, despite being visible for less time than other candidate marker locations. Definitions and properties of quaternions and dual quaternions, and parallels between the two, are presented alongside the relative motion model.

Relative Pose Observability Analysis Using Dual Quaternions

Relative pose (position and orientation) estimation is an essential component of many robotics applications. Fiducial markers, such as the AprilTag visual fiducial system, yield a relative pose measurement from a single marker detection and provide a powerful tool for pose estimation. In this paper, we perform a Lie algebraic nonlinear observability analysis on a nonlinear dual quaternion system that is composed of a relative pose measurement model and a relative motion model. We prove that many common dual quaternion expressions yield Jacobian matrices with advantageous block structures and rank properties that are beneficial for analysis. We show that using a dual quaternion representation yields an observability matrix with a simple block triangular structure and satisfies the necessary full rank condition.