Review of Cable-driven Hyper-redundant Robotic Arms

Cable-driven hyper-redundant robotic arms (CHRA) are robotic arms with redundant degrees of freedom (DOF), inspired by snake-like biomimicry principles, utilizing cables as the driving mechanism. Compared to traditional rigid robotic arms, CHRA showcase unparalleled advantages in complex and confined application scenarios such as aerospace engines, aircraft fuel tanks, space stations, and nuclear power plant pipelines. Furthermore, they boast a wide range of potential applications and currently stand as a prominent research topic in the field of robotics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of CHRA in recent years, analyzing and summarizing the technologies and scientific issues associated with these arms from four perspectives: driving methods, modeling approaches, trajectory planning, and control. We conclude by summarizing the challenges currently faced by CHRA, providing insights into their future prospects, and shedding light on their evolving trends in the field of robotics.