Design, Modeling, and Experimentation of a Bio-Inspired Miniature Climbing Robot With Bilayer Dry Adhesives

Abstract

This paper presents the design, modeling, and analysis of the force behavior acting on a wheel-legs (whegs) type robot which utilizes bilayer dry adhesives for wall-climbing. The motion of the robot is modeled as a slider-crank mechanism to obtain the dynamic parameters of the robot during movement. The required forces and moment to maintain equilibrium as the robot is in motion is then extensively analyzed and discussed. Following the analysis, fundamental measures to attain an operative climbing robot, such as adhesive requirement and torque specification, are then identified. The outcomes of the analysis are verified through experiments and working prototypes that are in good agreement with the design guidelines.