TRIPILLAR: a miniature magnetic caterpillar climbing robot with plane transition ability

Abstract

SUMMARY We present a miniature magnetic climbing robot with dimensions 96 × 46 × 64 mm 3 . With two degrees of freedom it is able to climb ferromagnetic surfaces and to make inner plane to plane transitions whatever their inclination is. This robot, named TRIPILLAR, combines triangular-shaped magnetic caterpillars and frame magnets. This particular configuration allows, for example, to move from ground to wall and ceiling and back. This achievement opens new avenues to use mobile robotics for industrial inspection with stringent size restrictions, such as the ones encountered in power plants.