Electrostatic-motor-driven electroadhesive robot

Abstract

This paper presents a new kind of climbing robots whose locomotion and adhesion are both realized by electrostatic force. Two crawler-type robots were prototyped. For both of the prototypes, high-power electrostatic film motors are installed. The slider of the electrostatic motor works as a crawling belt as well as an electrode for electroadhesion. The first prototype that has a rigid mechanical structure is light in weight (49 g) and thin in thickness (14 mm). It can climb on a vertical aluminum board with a speed up to 104 mm/s and horizontally pull a payload of about 3.2 N. The other prototype is equipped with a flexible mechanical structure that consists of a series of passive joints. By smoothly transitioning from a horizontal floor up to a slope, the robot demonstrated its capability to comply with complicated surfaces.