Few-Shot Physics-Informed Neural Network for Shape Reconstruction of Concentric-Tube Robots

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Feizi, Navid, Pedrosa, Filipe C., Patel, Rajni V., Jayender, Jagadeesan
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Feizi, Navid
Pedrosa, Filipe C.
Patel, Rajni V.
Jayender, Jagadeesan
author_facet Feizi, Navid
Pedrosa, Filipe C.
Patel, Rajni V.
Jayender, Jagadeesan
contents Modeling concentric tube robots (CTRs) involves complex nonlinear continuum mechanics, and despite recent progress, physics-based models often lack an accurate representation of the experimental setups. To overcome these limitations, deep neural network-based models have been explored as alternatives with superior accuracy; however, they often overlook known mechanics, require large training datasets, and typically discard shape estimation of the robot. We present a physics-informed neural network (PINN) for kinematic modeling of a 6-DoF CTR with three pre-curved tubes that embeds the Cosserat rod differential equations and learns from few-shot observational data, balancing physics priors with data-driven fitting. PINN enables full-state estimation of shape, twist angle, torsional strain, bending moment, and orientation. Benchmark tests show a mean shape error below 1% of the robot length and accurately recovered other kinematic states, outperforming a purely physics-based Cosserat rod model baseline while using a minimal training set. The resulting model is also computationally efficient and robust, making it well-suited for real-time control applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_12790
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Few-Shot Physics-Informed Neural Network for Shape Reconstruction of Concentric-Tube Robots
Feizi, Navid
Pedrosa, Filipe C.
Patel, Rajni V.
Jayender, Jagadeesan
Robotics
Modeling concentric tube robots (CTRs) involves complex nonlinear continuum mechanics, and despite recent progress, physics-based models often lack an accurate representation of the experimental setups. To overcome these limitations, deep neural network-based models have been explored as alternatives with superior accuracy; however, they often overlook known mechanics, require large training datasets, and typically discard shape estimation of the robot. We present a physics-informed neural network (PINN) for kinematic modeling of a 6-DoF CTR with three pre-curved tubes that embeds the Cosserat rod differential equations and learns from few-shot observational data, balancing physics priors with data-driven fitting. PINN enables full-state estimation of shape, twist angle, torsional strain, bending moment, and orientation. Benchmark tests show a mean shape error below 1% of the robot length and accurately recovered other kinematic states, outperforming a purely physics-based Cosserat rod model baseline while using a minimal training set. The resulting model is also computationally efficient and robust, making it well-suited for real-time control applications.
title Few-Shot Physics-Informed Neural Network for Shape Reconstruction of Concentric-Tube Robots
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.12790