Parallel-Continuum Robots: A Survey

Parallel-continuum robots combine the advantages of both parallel and continuum robotics. They offer a compromise between the inherent compliance and slenderness of continuum robots and the high precision and strength of rigid-link parallel robots. Throughout recent years there has been an increasing research interest in these novel architectures, which form closed kinematic chains that feature flexible, continuous links undergoing elastic deformations. As the number of publications in this emerging research field is steadily increasing, this survey article summarizes and reviews the state of the art in parallel-continuum robots, discussing their design and modeling. A definition and notation for parallel-continuum robots is introduced, allowing for a clear classification. In conclusion, current open research questions and possible applications for such robots are discussed.