CoLI: A Reproducible Platform for Continuum Robot Learning via Monolithic 3D Printing and Isomorphic Teleoperation

2026-06-18

AI Summary

Continuum robots suffer from poor reproducibility due to manufacturing complexity, challenging kinematic modeling, and a lack of intuitive control interfaces, which hinders both research and practical deployment. This work proposes an open-source, reproducible continuum robot platform that simplifies fabrication through multi-material monolithic 3D printing and enables singularity-free isomorphic teleoperation for direct actuator-level mapping—eliminating the need for explicit kinematic models. The platform further supports autonomous control via imitation learning. Experimental results demonstrate that the system significantly lowers the barrier to entry, exhibits high reproducibility, and offers a “learning-ready” design capable of efficiently executing diverse manipulation tasks, thereby accelerating algorithm development and systematic benchmarking.

Abstract

Continuum robots offer strong potential for manipulation tasks due to their high degrees of freedom, compliant structures, and operational safety. However, their adoption in both research and practical applications has been hindered by reproducibility issues arising from complex fabrication and assembly processes, challenging kinematic modeling, and a lack of intuitive control interfaces. To address these challenges, we present a novel open-source continuum robot design. The platform features a simplified fabrication pipeline enabled by multi-material 3D printing, allowing the arm to be fabricated as a monolithic compliant structure with minimal assembly. Control is achieved through an isomorphic teleoperation interface that establishes a direct actuator-level mapping, eliminating the need for explicit kinematic modeling and providing a singularity-free mapping. Building on this hardware design, the platform further supports imitation-learning-based autonomous control. The proposed system is evaluated through hardware characterization and a set of manipulation tasks. Experimental results demonstrate that the platform provides a reproducible, learning-ready continuum robot system, accelerating algorithmic development and systematic benchmarking for the continuum robotics community.

Problem

• continuum robots
• reproducibility
• fabrication
• kinematic modeling
• control interface

Innovation

• monolithic 3D printing
• isomorphic teleoperation
• continuum robot
• imitation learning
• reproducible platform