IMU Based Pose Reconstruction and Closed-loop Control for Soft Robotic Arms

Soft continuum manipulators are celebrated for their versatility and physical robustness to external forces and perturbations. However, this feature comes at a cost. The many degrees of freedom and compliance pose challenges for accurate pose reconstruction, both in terms of distributed sensing and pose reconstruction algorithms. Moreover, soft arms are inherently susceptible to deformation from external forces or loads, meaning that closed-loop control is essential for robust task performance. In this article, we propose the integration of multiple Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) of a soft robot arm, Helix, for reconstruction of pose under internal and external forces. Furthermore, we integrate this dynamic pose reconstruction for kinematic-based closed-loop control strategies. By serially integrating sensing in the body of the Helix soft manipulator, we provide the system with high-frequency pose reconstruction and demonstrate improvements in end effector position with comparison to open-loop performance.