This paper presents the design, modeling, and fabrication of 3D-printed, tendon-actuated continuum robots featuring a flexible, tapered backbone constructed from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Our scalable design incorporates an integrated electronics base housing that enables direct tendon tension control and sensing via actuators and compression load cells. Unlike many continuum robots that are single-purpose and costly, the proposed design prioritizes customizability, rapid assembly, and low cost while enabling high curvature and enhanced distal compliance through geometric tapering, thereby supporting a broad range of compliant robotic inspection and manipulation tasks. We develop a generalized forward kinetostatic model of the tapered backbone based on Cosserat rod theory using a Newtonian approach, extending existing tendon-actuated Cosserat rod formulations to explicitly account for spatially varying backbone cross-sectional geometry. The model captures the graded stiffness profile induced by the tapering and enables systematic exploration of the configuration space as a function of the geometric design parameters. Specifically, we analyze how the backbone taper angle influences the robot's configuration space and manipulability. The model is validated against motion capture data, achieving centimeter-level shape prediction accuracy after calibrating Young's modulus via a line search that minimizes modeling error. We further demonstrate teleoperated grasping using an endoscopic gripper routed along the continuum robot, mounted on a 6-DoF robotic arm. Parameterized iLogic/CAD scripts are provided for rapid geometry generation and scaling. The presented framework establishes a simple, rapid, and reproducible pathway from parametric design to controlled tendon actuation for tapered, tendon-driven continuum robots manufactured using fused deposition modeling 3D printers.

翻译：摘要：本文介绍了采用三维打印技术制造的肌腱驱动连续体机器人的设计、建模与制造过程，该机器人采用由热塑性聚氨酯（TPU）制成的柔性锥形骨架。我们的可扩展设计中集成了一体化电子基座，可通过驱动器和压缩力传感器实现对肌腱张力的直接控制与感知。与许多专用且昂贵的连续体机器人不同，本设计优先考虑可定制性、快速组装和低成本，同时通过几何锥形实现高曲率和增强的远端柔顺性，从而支持广泛的柔性机器人检测与操作任务。我们基于Cosserat杆理论，采用牛顿方法建立了锥形骨架的广义正向运动静力学模型，扩展了现有肌腱驱动Cosserat杆公式，明确考虑了骨架截面几何形状的空间变化。该模型捕捉了锥形引起的梯度刚度分布，并能够系统探索配置空间随几何设计参数的变化规律。具体而言，我们分析了骨架锥角对机器人配置空间和可操作性的影响。通过运动捕捉数据验证模型，在通过最小化建模误差的线性搜索标定杨氏模量后，实现了厘米级形状预测精度。我们进一步展示了沿着该连续体机器人路由的内窥镜抓取器（安装在6自由度机械臂上）的遥操作抓取能力。提供了参数化的iLogic/CAD脚本，用于快速生成几何形状并实现尺寸缩放。所提出的框架为锥形肌腱驱动连续体机器人（采用熔融沉积建模3D打印机制造）建立了一条从参数化设计到受控肌腱驱动的简单、快速且可复现的路径。