A Spoke-Wheel Based Wall-climbing Robot

Abstract

Biomimetics and biorobotics form a thriving field of modern scientific research endeavors. The development of wall-climbing robots boasts a wide array of potential real-world applications. With this technology still in progression, a simple and fundamentally sound robot has been created to serve as a test bed and proof-of-concept robot. The developed robot is inspired by the concept of Mini-WhegsTM robot. It features more robust compliant adhesive feet, a preloading tail and modular design with inexpensive educational parts. Experiments have demonstrated the capabilities of this robot such as traversing horizontal, oblique, and vertical smooth surfaces, "walking" upside down and making the transition between orthogonal surfaces.