ArticleNature communications2026
Single twistable tendon-driven continuum robots.
Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Tendon-driven continuum robots with spatial manipulability face fundamental challenges in miniaturization, stemming from the space required to accommodate multiple actuation tendons. Conventional multi-tendon designs create an inherent trade-off between miniaturization, 3D manipulability, and force output. Here, we introduce a class of continuum robots that achieves controllable body twist and full omnidirectional motion driven by pushing, pulling, and twisting a single tendon, breaking this long-standing design constraint. The resulting robot features an outer diameter of 2.0-3.5 mm and a circumferential hollow ratio exceeding 57%, nearly doubling spatial utilization efficiency over multi-tendon designs. Compared to conventional mechanisms, manipulability improves by over 1000-fold while retaining at least 70% of tip force across all directions. We derive the kinematics for this robot class and provide an open-source simulator. We demonstrate capabilities in teleoperation, navigation in tortuous environments, chopstick-like continuum grippers for in-gripper manipulation, and potential medical applications. Our design redefines actuation paradigms for tendon-driven continuum robots.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.