Abstract
Continuum robots are well suited for gentle manipulation because of their inherent compliance and ability to adapt to complex environments. However, their continuously deformable structure makes accurate configuration estimation challenging, particularly when external vision systems are unavailable or obstructed. In this work, we present an embedded pose sensing framework that combines inertial measurement units (IMUs) and active magnetic fields to estimate the robot configuration without relying on external cameras. The angular measurements from the IMU and magnetic-field references are fused to improve local orientation estimation and reduce accumulated orientation error during operation. This pose sensing scheme achieves an update rate of 16.7~Hz, allowing real-time feedback. The proposed system is experimentally validated through closed-loop control, where the estimated robot configuration is used to maintain the end-effector at a desired position while interacting with an object. These results demonstrate the potential of distributed magnetic--inertial sensing for real-time pose estimation and closed-loop control of continuum robots.
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Publication details
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Cite this article
APA 7
Cao, Z., Sue, G. N., Bu, X., Quinn, D., Hu, J., & Majidi, C. (2026). Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion
MLA 9
Cao, Zheng, et al. "Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion.
Chicago (author–date)
Cao, Zheng, Guo Ning Sue, Xiangyun Bu, David Quinn, Junzhe Hu, and Carmel Majidi. 2026. "Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion.
Harvard
Cao, Z., Sue, G. N., Bu, X., Quinn, D., Hu, J. and Majidi, C. (2026) 'Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion', Available at: https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion.
Vancouver
Cao Z, Sue GN, Bu X, Quinn D, Hu J, Majidi C. Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion
IEEE
Z. Cao, G. N. Sue, X. Bu, D. Quinn, J. Hu, and C. Majidi, "Magnetic based In-situ Self 3D Pose Estimation for a Modular Soft Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot via IMU-Fusion," https://omanscience.com/en/articles/magnetic-based-in-situ-self-3d-pose-estimation-for-a-modular-soft-tendon-driven-continuum-robot-via-imu-fusion.