Hyper-redundant robots: Classification, state-of-the-art and issues

Abstract

Hyper-redundant robots are characterized by having a high number of degrees of freedom. The word redundant is commonly used to mean a repetition or excess of a concept. In the robotics scope, redundancy offers numerous advantages against traditional robots. Hyper-redundant robots provide better skills to avoid obstacles, they are fault-tolerant in some of their joints and exhibit kinematic advantages. This article presents general concepts to understand this kind of robots as well as a classification, their potential, drawbacks and an analysis of their evolution throughout their history.