A Generic Modeling Framework for the Design of Tendon-Driven Continuum Manipulators with Flexure Patterns

In this paper, a novel mathematical framework is introduced for modeling deformation behavior of Tendon- Driven Continuum Manipulators (TD-CMs) featuring discon- tinuous cross-sectional geometries (i.e., having flexural pat- terns). Leveraging this framework, we also introduce the concept of design space by which the deformation-behavior space of a TD-CM can intuitively be analyzed via its geometrical design parameters. To thoroughly evaluate the performance of the proposed modeling framework, we have conducted various simulation studies and experiments.