Flexible robot arm

A flexible robot arm comprising:

• a plurality of disc-shaped elements arranged in a series and each of which both surfaces having an arched opposed single-curve, respectively, being served as contact surfaces;
• a plurality of wire-like actuating devices which penetrate said disc-shaped elements at locations positioned at a peripheral portion of each element and spaced apart from one another at a substantially equal distance, said plurality of wire-like actuating devices being connected at their respective leading ends to the most distal end element;
• and
• a plurality of driving means mounted in a drive section and connected to respective proximal ends of said wire-like actuating devices, respectively, for selectively drawing and loosening said wire-like actuating devices to curve and bend or move a robot arm having the elements, wherein said driving means comprises two drive units mounted in the drive section so as avoid interference with each other, each of said driving means being connected to respective proximal ends of a pair of wire-like actuating devices out of said plurality of wire-like actuating device which are oppositely disposed on the diagonal line and being driven through a rotatable body rotated by means of a motor in the clockwise and the counter-clockwise directions, wherein each of said driving means comprises a pair of rack members mounted movably so as to be opposite to each other and to be directly connected to the respective proximal ends of said pair of wire-like actuating devices, respectively, and a pinion disposed between said pair of rack members so as to engage simultaneously with both the rack members and allowed to rotate by means of a motor in the clockwise and the counter-clockwise directions.