Adaptive Impedance Control of Continuum Robots

Space junk seriously affects spacecraft missions and occupies valuable space orbit resources. Continuum robots are of great research significance for capturing space junk due to their flexible nature. In this paper, a soft and smooth capture technology of continuum robot for space junk capture is studied. Firstly, the kinematic model and dynamic model of the continuum robot are established. Secondly, according to the uncertainty of application environment, an adaptive impedance control method of continuum robot is designed. To solve the problem of different size of space junk, a strategy of using different capturing methods according to the size of space junk is proposed, that is, using the actuator at the end of the robotic arm to capture small space junk, and using the robotic arm to capture large space junk. Finally, a soft and smooth capture experiment of space junk is carried out. The experimental results show that the kinematic and dynamic models established in this paper are accurate, and the adaptive impedance control method is effective in capturing objects with different stiffness, and the proposed capture strategy is reliable.