A Review on Wire-Driven Flexible Robot Manipulators

Background: At present, with the rapid development of technology in medical treatment and rescue, how to reduce the operation complexity caused by limited space has become one of the hot topics. For example, in search and rescue, it is difficult for people to enter these high-risk areas due to various restricted geographic environments. During some medical treatment processes, minimally invasive surgery is difficult to operate because of its small incision. In order to solve these problems, a kind of Wire-Driven Flexible Robot Manipulator (WDFRM) has been developed. The WDFRMs have better flexibility and greater degrees of freedom (DOF) than the traditional rigid manipulators, and play an important role in these extreme operation fields. Objective: The paper aims to report the latest progress in the studies of the WDFRMs, and provides a reference for readers in this field. Method: By summarizing various productions and patents related to the WDFRMs, the structural characteristics, differentiations, applications of the WDFRMs are proposed. Results: Different types of WDFRMs are compared, analyzed, and classified according to their structural characteristics and supporting mode. The technical problems of the WDFRMs are pointed out, and the future development direction of this research field is predicted. Conclusion: According to their structural characteristics, the research shows that WDFRMs can be divided into Wire-Driven Serpentine Flexible Robot Manipulators (WDSFRMs) and Wire-Driven Continuum Flexible Robot Manipulators (WDCFRMs). WDFRMs will have more applications in medical treatment, rescue, and military affairs. The structure, stiffness and accuracy of the WDFRMs still need to be improved continuously.