Design of a Movable Tensegrity Arm with Springs Modeling an Upper and Lower Arm

Abstract

Tensegrity is a structure consisting of rigid bodies and internal tensile members, with no contact between the rigid bodies. The model of an arm with a tensegrity structure is not movable as it is, but we believe that it can be made movable and flexible by incorporating springs. We developed an arm that incorporates springs in the arm’s tensile members by extending the model of an arm with a tensegrity structure. Then, as an evaluation of the developed arm, we measured the ranges of motions and the forces required for that motion. We also developed a mechanism that allows the arm to bend and extend. We believe that this method of making the tensegrity arm controllable by incorporating springs will be useful in the development of flexible robotic arms for caregiving using robots and other applications.