Data-Driven Compensation Based on the Kinematic Model of a Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot for Ankle Motion Reproduction

In this letter, we propose a biomimetic ankle prototype based on a tendon-driven continuum robot for reproducing ankle motions associated with the rotating-pulling-poking manipulation, providing an experimental platform for related motion analysis and research. To address the non-ideal transmission problem in ankle motion reproduction, we develop a data-driven compensation framework based on the kinematic model, in which a mapping from driving inputs to end-effector pose is established using Cosserat rod theory and the geometrically variable strain model to support the compensation framework. Simulation and prototype experiments show that the proposed framework can reproduce representative ankle configurations and motion trajectories on the platform. After compensation, the angle error is reduced to within 0.1°, and the end-position error does not exceed 10% of the backbone length, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed framework.