Vertical dry adhesive climbing with a 100× bodyweight payload

Abstract

The ability to carry large payloads could greatly increase the applications of small, low cost climbing robots. We present a linear inchworm gait that uses a single powerful actuator to climb. To make this gait possible, we leveraged two new methods of achieving controllable, anisotropic adhesion (one method produces over 200 times stronger adhesion in the preferred direction). With controllable, anisotropic adhesion, the gait is robust to missed steps. In addition, the gait provides a stance in which the robot can rest without requiring power. An autonomous 9 gram robot is able to climb a smooth vertical surface at 3 mm/s, while hoisting more than a kilogram. We also present a scaled down version of the robot, which is considerably smaller than any previous dry adhesive climbing mechanism. It is actuated by externally powered Shape Memory Alloy, weighs 20 mg, and is capable of hoisting 500 mg. These climbers show that a large hoisting ability while climbing can be achieved using dry adhesives, and the presented concepts could aid in the development of autonomous, highly functional, small robots.