New joint design for three-dimensional hyper redundant robots

This paper presents a novel compact design for a two degrees of freedom (DOF) joint mechanism. The joint is optimized for compactness, strength and range of motion which makes it ideal for constructing spatial or three-dimensional hyper redundant robots. We also identify and classify various prior joint designs that led to the development of this new concept. Finally, we present the joint forward kinematics, and force and torque calculations to verify the joint´s range of motion and mechanical advantage.