CubiX: Portable Wire-Driven Parallel Robot

Connecting to and Utilizing the Environment

IROS 2024

A wire-driven parallel robot is a type of robotic system where multiple wires are used to control the movement of a end-effector. The wires are attached to the end-effector and anchored to fixed points on external structures. This configuration allows for the separation of actuators and end-effectors, enabling lightweight and simplified movable parts in the robot. However, its range of motion remains confined within the space formed by the wires, limiting the wire-driven capability to only within the pre-designed operational range. Here, in this study, we develop a wire-driven robot, CubiX, capable of connecting to and utilizing the environment. CubiX connects itself to the environment using up to 8 wires and drives itself by winding these wires. By integrating actuators for winding the wires into CubiX, a portable wire-driven parallel robot is realized without limitations on its workspace. Consequently, the robot can form parallel wire-driven structures by connecting wires to the environment at any operational location.

Hardware Structure of CubiX

The hardware structure of CubiX. It has 8 wire modules, and its cube-shaped structure consists of 6 frame plates. It is also equipped with devices such as a PC, battery, and camera necessary for operation. The 8 wire modules are arranged along the edges of the cube.

Overall Structure of Wire Module

The overall structure of the wire module. It consists of 3 elements, the wire winding winch, the wire restraining pulley, and the wire relay unit. The wire winding winch, shown in the upper left of the picture, winds the wire by rotating the winch connected to a motor. The wire restraining pulley, shown in the upper right of the picture, prevents irregular wire winding while the wire is being wound. The wire relay unit, shown in the lower left of picture, aligns wires connected to the environment and transfers them to the wire winding winch.

Experiments

Spatial Movement Driven by 8 Wires

CubiX is driven by the maximum number of wires it can wind, which is 8 wires, to perform spatial movements. The aim is to evaluate whether the design and control of CubiX function correctly as a wire-driven robot.

Outdoor Experiment

CubiX was taken outdoors to demonstrate wire-driven movement by connecting wires to trees, showcasing CubiX as a portable CDPR. Two wires were placed on each of the trees on either side of CubiX, totaling 4 wires, to perform spatial movement.

Wire Deployment by Flying Anchors

2 flying anchors were used to connect CubiX's wires to the environment, followed by CubiX's spatial movement, demonstrating CubiX's ability to autonomously connect wires to the environment and drive itself using them.

Bibtex

@inproceedings{inoue2024cubix,
  title={{CubiX: Portable Wire-Driven Parallel Robot Connecting to and Utilizing the Environment}},
  author={Shintaro Inoue and Kento Kawaharazuka and Temma Suzuki and Sota Yuzaki and Kei Okada and Masayuki Inaba},
  booktitle={Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems},
  year={2024},
}

Contact

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shintaro Inoue.