A beetle-inspired miniature hexapod mesh climbing robot

Abstract

Some climbing microrobots have been invented based on the locomotions of insects to move on uneven inclines. However, few of them have the steering climbing ability as the unstable force balance may cause the robot's falling from the incline, especially on the mesh incline. Inspired by the beetle claws, we designed a 10-cm hexapod robot with cyclic bending tarsus on four movable legs to demonstrate the steering ability on a mesh incline. The robot can go straight on the incline with four different gaits, and steer with two variable gaits. Further, an S-shape routine climbing test was demonstrated to verify the steering performance on the 45-degree mesh incline.