Design and experiment of a tank-like wall-climbing robot using fibril dry adhesives

Abstract

This paper presents the design, analyses, and fabrication of a tank-like wall-climbing robot using gecko-inspired dry adhesives. The robot uses customized timing adhesive belts, which is flexible as well as patterned using MEMS techniques. The Kendall strip tape model is modified, considering features of the timing belt, to analyze the peeling process of the viscoelastic tread. The relationship between the peeling force and the pretension strain of the treads is predicted. The normal force distribution of the treads is analyzed in the robot's adhesive process. Conditions for robot's stable climbing are derived. A prototype is fabricated and tested.