Investigation to Enhance the Actuation Force Transmission of Cable-Driven Continuum Manipulators with Tethering Lines

A unique combination of an aerial drone, integrated with a lightweight cable-driven manipulator and a ground unit containing the cable winching actuators and the motion control system, was proposed for inspection of confined spaces at elevated locations. This paper focuses on the investigation of designing tethering lines with high force transmission, through the use of Design-of experiments to identify relevant and dominant design variables for design optimization.