Polarization-Controlled Microwave-Actuated Continuum Robot
Yongze Li, He Gao, Zhiguang Xing, Xuan Li, Tao Chen
AI summary
Problem
Conventional continuum robots rely on bulky physical cables or tubes, severely limiting their ability to operate in confined, obstructed, or visually occluded spaces. There is a need for a contactless actuation method that can deliver energy and control through non-metallic barriers.
Approach
The system uses a directional microwave source and a rotating horn antenna to project polarization-controlled energy onto custom flexible circuit antennas mounted on the robot. This targeted energy heats embedded shape memory alloy springs, generating differential tensile forces that bend the arm and control its end-effector without physical connections.
Key results
- Multi-directional bending and trajectory control achieved through microwave polarization modulation
- Reliable non-contact grasping and retrieval of components through non-metallic obstacles
- Quantified actuation force and contraction ratios across varying microwave distances and polarization angles
- Demonstrated stable payload handling up to 1.26 g with controlled kinematic responses
Why it matters
Provides a novel wireless actuation framework for operating robots in sealed, obstructed, or hazardous environments where physical tethers are impractical.
Abstract
In industrial and medical environments, robotic ma- nipulation frequently encounters dual challenges of spatially constrained workspaces and visual obstructions. Wireless actu- ation methodologies, leveraging non-contact energy transmission and adaptive control mechanisms, offer an innovative solution to address the limitations of physical interconnections and enhance operational adaptability in structurally confined and uncertain ob- structed environments. Here, we implemented a non-contact con- tinuum robotic arm based on microwave-driving with polarization- directed guidance. The system incorporates customized flexible printed circuit (FPC) antennas and spatial microwave energy field modulation to enable wireless actuation and multi-degree- of-freedom (DOF) motion control of the robotic end-effector. By integrating spring-supported mechanisms and shape memory alloy (SMA) spring deformation responses, it accomplishes tasks such as obstacle penetration, component grasping, and retrieval—all without physical connections. This study demonstrates precise coupling between directionally controlled microwave energy and mechanical motion in obscured settings, offering a novel approach fornon-contact,multi-DOF,andmulti-structureroboticoperations in sealed or unstructured environments. The proposed methodol- ogy significantly expands the potential applications and operational capabilities of robots in complex real-world conditions.