Accessible teleoperation of tendon-driven continuum robot with an intuitive game controller interface

Tendon-driven continuum robots offer exceptional flexibility and slenderness, making them particularly suitable for inspection and maintenance in constrained and unstructured environments as well as robotic surgery. However, their control remains challenging due to nonlinear behavior, limited sensory feedback, and a significant kinematic dissimilarity from existing controllers. These challenges make continuum robots, similarly to endoscopes, their non-robotic counterparts, require a cost- and time-expensive training for users who operate them in such critical environments. This paper addresses this point by designing and implementing a custom, user-friendly control interface for a tendon-driven continuum robot, leveraging principles from both robotics and gaming to enhance intuitiveness and accessibility. After developing a custom graphical user interface, a prototype has been manufactured to evaluate system performance in a dedicated testing environment. Twelve participants have attempted a timed navigation task using the proposed interface, with data collected to assess usability and control accuracy. Results confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of the system: users were able to navigate the robot through the course with minimal training. Participant feedback is then analyzed to identify meaningful directions for improvement.