Foot design and integration for bioinspired climbing robots

Abstract

Climbing animal's feet use combinations of interlocking and bonding mechanisms in a staggering array of designs. The most successful climbers' feet exhibit a complex hierarchy of varied mechanical structures at multiple scales, combining small appendages that generate shear or adhesive forces with compliant suspension systems that promote intimate contact with surfaces. Recent progress is presented in mechanical and materials design that integrates novel dry adhesive and microspine structures mounted on passively compliant suspensions into successively improved generations of feet targeted at the RiSE (Robots in Scansorial Environments) family of climbing robots. The current version can ascend 90° carpeted, cork covered and a growing range of stucco surfaces in the quasi-static regime. Specifications of a "public interface" for integrating a broad range of synthetic appendages into the foot assemblies are presented in the hopes of encouraging as large as possible a community of MEMs and Nanomaterials designers to submit adhesive or friction enhancing materials for operational tests using the robot.