Shape adaptation of planar hyper-redundant manipulators to environment using multiple proximity sensors

We (2000) have already proposed a distributed control method for hyper-redundant manipulators: a manipulator expands, contracts and bends along the shape of complicated and unknown environment. This method is applied to a planar manipulator consisting of serially connected joint units with many proximity sensors. The sensor can measure the distance to an object in short range. A method of obstacle avoidance in long and narrow space like pipes is proposed. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the method.