Bending and twisting mechanism and its applications to robotics and energy conversion

A mechanism including at least one module having a tubular structure with at least three faces, each of said faces comprising:

• two parallel longitudinal fibers, rigid and inextensible, each having a first end, called proximal end, and a second end, called distal end, each said fiber being common to two adjacent faces of the module, the proximal end of each said fiber being connected with three rotational degrees of freedom to the distal end of a homologous fiber of another module, called proximal module, or to a base;
• a transverse inextensible link connecting said two longitudinal fibers, having a first end rigidly connected to said first fiber and a second end connected to said second fiber with a sliding degree of freedom along said fiber and a rotational degree of freedom about it, such that each fiber of the module is connected to the first end of a transverse link and to the second end of another transverse link, each said transverse link comprising a first segment carrying said first end and a second segment carrying said second end, said two segments being interconnected with two rotational degrees of freedom about respective axes, one of said axes being parallel to either said first or said second segment and the other one of said axes being perpendicular to both said first axis and to a longitudinal direction of the module;
• a longitudinal link connecting said transverse link to a homologous transverse link of said proximal module or to said base via a first connection having three rotational degrees of freedom and a second connection having only two rotational degrees of freedom about respective axis perpendicular to each other and to said longitudinal link;
• and
• a device selected from:
• an actuator for changing the length of said longitudinal link, a prismatic joint and a power generating transducer for allowing a change of the length of said longitudinal link and generating electrical power as a result of such change.