Experimental investigation on attachment properties of dry adhesives used in climbing robots

Abstract

Mobile climbing robots commonly use magnets or active suction as their adhesive elements, but dry elastomer adhesives and particularly bio-inspired patterned elastomer adhesives are an area of increasing interest in robotics research. However, these patterned elastomer adhesives are not widely available. As a result, the authors propose the use of a commercially-available micro suction tape known as Regabond-S as the adhesion mechanism for climbing robots. In order to be useful in design, the performance of the adhesive must be understood. The authors propose a model for micro suction tapes that relates preloading with the maximum sustainable adhesion. The model suggests that the adhesion comes from a combination of van der Waals and suction forces, and its performance falls between unpatterned and patterned elastomers. The model is then experimentally verified and compared with other elastomer adhesives on acrylic, brushed aluminium, and steel surfaces. These results are then demonstrated on a track-based climbing mobile robot.