The development of a fiber optics communication network for controlling a Multidegree-Of-Freedom Serpentine Truss

The problem addressed by this report is the large size and heavy weight of the cable bundle, used for controlling a Multidegree-Of-Freedom Serpentine Truss Manipulator arm, which imposes limitations on the manipulator arm maneuverability. This report covers a design of an optical fiber network to replace the existing copper wire network of the Serpentine Truss Manipulator. This report proposes a fiber network design which significantly reduces the bundle size into two phases. The first phase does not require any modifications for the manipulator architecture, while the other requires major modifications. Design philosophy, hardware details and schematic diagrams are presented.