The Problem of Adhesion Methods and Locomotion Mechanism Development for Wall-Climbing Robots

This review considers a problem in the development of mobile robot adhesion methods with vertical surfaces and the appropriate locomotion mechanism design. The evolution of adhesion methods for wall-climbing robots (based on friction, magnetic forces, air pressure, electrostatic adhesion, molecular forces, rheological properties of fluids and their combinations) and their locomotion principles (wheeled, tracked, walking, sliding framed and hybrid) is studied. Wall-climbing robots are classified according to the applications, adhesion methods and locomotion mechanisms. The advantages and disadvantages of various adhesion methods and locomotion mechanisms are analyzed in terms of mobility, noiselessness, autonomy and energy efficiency. Focus is placed on the physical and technical aspects of the adhesion methods and the possibility of combining adhesion and locomotion methods

Design of a biologically inspired climbing robot and an adhesion mechanism for reliable and versatile climbing in complex steel structures

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.Steel infrastructure is the backbone of modern day society, however it requires regular inspection and maintenance to ensure integrity and prolong the life of services. The inspection of steel infrastructure such as steel bridges, often requires inspection at heights, in confined spaces, in hazardous environments or in areas which simply cannot be accessed by humans. With more stringent Work Health and Safety requirements, the ability to carry out comprehensive inspection becomes more challenging, to the extent that particular locations can no longer be inspected. There is significant motivation for climbing robots to carry out the inspection of such locations; however very few solutions have been successfully deployed. The difficulty in deploying a climbing robot is largely attributed to robot configurations which lack versatility and adhesion systems which lack reliability. Inspired biologically from the inchworm caterpillar, a climbing robot is developed to addresses these two issues. This research presents the kinematic design of a climbing robot and the design of a novel magnetic adhesion mechanism which overcomes the challenges faced by the current state-of-the-art climbing robots. The inchworm inspired climbing robot has a unique kinematic design consisting of 7 Degrees of Freedom to achieve its versatile climbing ability. This unique configuration allows the robot to navigate complex structures and pass through narrow obstacles, such as manholes. This research presents an optimisation model for developing robust and reliable adhesion systems which consist of multiple adhesion modules. The optimisation model maximises particular adhesion performance criteria, whilst minimising weight. The model allows for tailored designs depending on the means of adhesion being used. In verifying the optimisation model, a novel adhesion mechanism is developed with the means of attaching and detaching a permanent magnet to a steel surface. The adhesion module consists of a quarter gear segment to rotate the magnet between attached and detached states. Using the novel adhesion mechanism, an adhesion system is developed based on the optimisation model and verified through testing. The inchworm inspired robot configuration and the novel magnetic adhesion system enable the practical deployment of the robot. The Climbing RObot Caterpillar (CROC) has undergone extensive testing in simulated environments, mock-up environments and has been deployed for the real world inspection of complex steel structures. Over 50 site trials have been conducted over a three year period inside the hollow archways of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. CROC extends the state of the art, being the first of its kind deployed with the capability of autonomous inspection in complex steel structures

Bio-Inspired Adhesive Footpad for Legged Robot Climbing under Reduced Gravity: Multiple Toes Facilitate Stable Attachment

This paper presents the design of a legged robot with gecko-mimicking mechanism and mushroom-shaped adhesive microstructure (MSAMS) that can climb surfaces under reduced gravity. The design principle, adhesion performance and roles of different toes of footpad are explored and discussed in this paper. The effect of the preload velocity, peeling velocity and thickness of backing layering on the reliability of the robot are investigated. Results show that pull-force is independent of preload velocity, while the peeling force is relying on peeling velocity, and the peel strength increased with the increasing thickness of the backing layer. The climbing experiments show that the robot can climb under mimic zero gravity by using multiple toes facilitating adhesion. The robot with new type of footpads also provides a good platform for testing different adhesive materials for the future space applications

Mini Review: Comparison of Bio-Inspired Adhesive Feet of Climbing Robots on Smooth Vertical Surfaces

Developing climbing robots for smooth vertical surfaces (e.g., glass) is one of the most challenging problems in robotics. Here, the adequate functioning of an adhesive foot is an essential factor for successful locomotion performance. Among the various technologies (such as dry adhesion, wet adhesion, magnetic adhesion, and pneumatic adhesion), bio-inspired dry adhesion has been actively studied and successfully applied to climbing robots. Thus, this review focuses on the characteristics of two different types of foot microstructures, namely spatula-shaped and mushroom-shaped, capable of generating such adhesion. These are the most used types of foot microstructures in climbing robots for smooth vertical surfaces. Moreover, this review shows that the spatula-shaped feet are particularly suitable for massive and one-directional climbing robots, whereas mushroom-shaped feet are primarily suitable for light and all-directional climbing robots. Consequently, this study can guide roboticists in selecting the right adhesive foot to achieve the best climbing ability for future robot developments

New Technologies for Climbing Robots Adhesion to Surfaces

The interest in the development of climbing robots is growing steadily. The main motivations are to increase the operation e ciency, by eliminating the costly assembly of sca olding, or to protect human health and safety in hazardous tasks. Climbing robots have already been developed for applications ranging from cleaning to inspection of constructions di cult to reach. These robots should be capable of travelling over di erent types of surfaces, with di erent inclinations, such as oors, walls, ceilings, and to walk between such surfaces. Furthermore, they should be able of adapting and recon guring for di erent environment conditions and to be self-contained. Regarding the adhesion to the surface, the robots should be able to produce a secure gripping force using a light-weight mechanism. This paper presents a survey of di erent technologies proposed and adopted for climbing robots adhesion to surfaces, focusing on the new technologies that are recently being developed to ful ll these objectives.N/

Biologically Inspired Climbing with a Hexapedal Robot

This paper presents an integrated, systems-level view of several novel design and control features associated with the biologically inspired, hexapedal, RiSE (Robots in Scansorial Environments) robot. RiSE is the first legged machine capable of locomotion on both the ground and a variety of vertical building surfaces including brick, stucco, and crushed stone at speeds up to 4 cm/s, quietly and without the use of suction, magnets, or adhesives. It achieves these capabilities through a combination of bioinspired and traditional design methods. This paper describes the design process and specifically addresses body morphology, hierarchical compliance in the legs and feet, and sensing and control systems that enable robust and reliable climbing on difficult surfaces. Experimental results illustrate the effects of various behaviors on climbing performance and demonstrate the robot\u27s ability to climb reliably for long distances