Robust tracking control of unknown models for space in-cabin robots with a pneumatic continuum arm

Abstract The service robots of space station in-cabin have attracted more and more attention. The space in-cabin robot with a pneumatic continuum arm is studied in this paper. It could be safer, more efficient and more flexible than the space rigid robot. However, the coupling motion of the moving base and the pneumatic continuum continuous arm brings a new challenge for controlling the end-effector to track the desired path. In this paper, a new control method based on the zeroing neural network (ZNN) is developed to solve the high-precision kinematics trajectory tracking control problem of unknown models. The real-time Jacobian matrix of the in-cabin robots with a pneumatic continuum arm is estimated by the input–output information when the parameter and the structure of the kinematic model are unknown. Moreover, this paper also employs a modified activation function power-sigmoid activation function (PSAF) to improve the robustness. In addition, it is proved through the Lyapunov stability theory that the proposed control approach is convergent and stable. Finally, the simulation results are given to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control method for space in-cabin robots with a pneumatic continuum arm.