Abstract:
Snake –arm robots are increasingly becoming popular because of their increasing
importance in access related problems. The design of an actuator with high power density,
large work space, large joint space, compact size, small weight is critical for the performance
of a snake-arm robot and is subject of present research. Different type of actuators have been
developed i.e. electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, piezoelectric etc. Electric motors are most
common of them. Hydraulic actuators have the highest power density with at least ten times
more power dense as compared to electric motors. But they are prone to leakage and are
difficult to design in compact size and high accessibility. This paper focuses a novel design
which skillfully utilizes the high power density of hydraulics, in a compact size without
sacrificing the accessibility of the actuator. A two DOF hydraulically actuated spherical shape
actuator has been designed. The said design was manufactured to verify the perceived
motions. Important parameters were identified and different relations between them were
established .Potential problems, there solutions and future recommendations regarding
improvement of the design are discussed.
