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Robotics industry

Bioinspired Continuum Robot Offers High Positioning Accuracy in Confined Environments

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A research team at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has developed a novel continuum robotic system inspired by the musculoskeletal structure of snakes. The system comprises a dual-segment continuum arm and a linear feeding module, providing a total of five degrees of freedom. The robotic system is designed for bioinspired applications in endoscopy and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Key Takeaways:

  • The continuum robotic system was inspired by the musculoskeletal structure of snakes, providing a unique solution for navigating confined environments.
  • The system consists of a dual-segment continuum arm and a linear feeding module, offering five degrees of freedom.
  • The research team developed a constant-curvature kinematic model and a real-time inverse kinematics solution based on fifth-order Taylor expansion.
  • The master-slave teleoperation control framework was implemented to enhance postural stability and decouple translational motion from orientation control.
  • The system achieves consistent end-effector orientation by coordinating bending angles and rotation directions between segments.
  • The research concluded that the proposed continuum robot offers high positioning accuracy, structural adaptability, and strong potential for bioinspired applications.
  • The study was funded by the Special Funds for Science and Technology Programs in Jiangsu Province, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and other organizations.

Statistics:

  • The continuum robotic system was designed for dexterous and stable movements in confined environments.
  • The system achieved a high positioning accuracy of [insert data].
  • The study involved a total of [insert number] researchers from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
  • The research was published in the journal Symmetry on October 20, 2025 (Volume 17, Issue 9, page 1450).
  • The research has potential applications in endoscopy and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Sources:

  • Aihong Ji, et al. "Emulating Snake Locomotion: a Bioinspired Continuum Robot With Decoupled Symmetric Control." Symmetry, vol. 17, no. 9, 2025, p. 1450.
  • NewsRx. "New Robotics Study Results from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Described (Emulating Snake Locomotion: a Bioinspired Continuum Robot With Decoupled Symmetric Control)." Journal of Engineering, October 20, 2025, p. 2202.

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