Accurate control of continuum robots requires handling non-linear behaviors between actuators and distal effectors. In this letter, we develop a method for estimating the non-linearities of tendon-driven degrees of freedom of flexible endoscopic systems by using a distal endoscopic camera and encoders at the proximal side. The proposed approach separates the non-linearities in two parts, namely a pure non uniform backlash and a non-linear function. The backlash is estimated without relying on any model, while the non-linear function is obtained by a pose estimation process. Experiments realized on a robotic flexible endoscopy platform (STRAS) show the validity of the approach for estimating in situ the quasi-static behavior of the robot and for compensating the non-linearities of the motion transmission.

中文翻译：

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使用内窥镜相机对连续体机器人进行原位反向间隙估计

连续体机器人的准确控制需要处理致动器和远端效应器之间的非线性行为。在这封信中，我们开发了一种通过使用远端内窥镜相机和近端编码器来估计柔性内窥镜系统的腱驱动自由度的非线性的方法。所提出的方法将非线性分为两部分，即纯非均匀背隙和非线性函数。反冲的估计不依赖于任何模型，而非线性函数是通过位姿估计过程获得的。在机器人柔性内窥镜平台 (STRAS) 上实现的实验表明，该方法在原位估计机器人的准静态行为和补偿运动传输的非线性方面的有效性。