Gecko-inspired robots have significant potential applications;however,deviations in the yaw direction during locomotion are inevitable for legged robots that lack external sensing.These deviations cause the robot to s...Gecko-inspired robots have significant potential applications;however,deviations in the yaw direction during locomotion are inevitable for legged robots that lack external sensing.These deviations cause the robot to stray from its intended path.Therefore,a cost-effective and straightforward solution is essential for reducing this deviation.In nature,the tail is often used to maintain balance and stability.Similarly,it has been used in robots to improve manoeuvrability and stability.Our aim is to reduce this deviation using a morphological computation approach,specifically by adding a tail.To test this hypothesis,we investigated four different tails(rigid plate,rigid gecko-shaped,soft plate,and soft gecko-shaped)and assessed the deviation of the robot with these tails on different slopes.Additionally,to evaluate the influence of different tail parameters,such as material,shape,and linkage,we investigated the locomotion performance in terms of the robot's climbing speed on slopes,its ability to turn at narrow corners,and the resistance of the tails to external disturbances.A new auto-reset joint was designed to ensure that a disturbed tail could be quickly reset.Our results demonstrate that the yaw deviation of the robot can be reduced by applying a tail.Among the four tails,the soft gecko-shaped tail was the most effective for most tasks.In summary,our findings demonstrate the functional role of the tail in reducing yaw deviation,improving climbing ability and stability and provide a reference for selecting the most suitable tail for geckoinspired robots.展开更多
The internally balanced theory proposed by the Japanese researchers,solved the contradiction between adsorption ability and moving capability of the permanent magnetic adsorption mechanism.However,it still has some pr...The internally balanced theory proposed by the Japanese researchers,solved the contradiction between adsorption ability and moving capability of the permanent magnetic adsorption mechanism.However,it still has some problems when applied to wall climbing robots.This paper analyzes and improves this theory,and the improved internally balanced theory satisfies the requirements of the adsorption mechanism significantly.Finally,a practical prototype is proposed based on this method,and both the analysis using ANSYS and the experiment results justify the design validity.展开更多
In recent years,the robot industry has developed rapidly,and researchers and enterprises have begun to pay more attention to this industry.People are barely familiar with climbing robots,a kind of special robot.Howeve...In recent years,the robot industry has developed rapidly,and researchers and enterprises have begun to pay more attention to this industry.People are barely familiar with climbing robots,a kind of special robot.However,from their practical value and scientific research value,climbing robots should studied further.This paper analyzes and summarizes the key technologies of climbing robots,introduces various kinds of climbing robots,and examines their advantages and disadvantages to provide a reference for future researchers.Many countries have studied climbing robots and made some achievements.However,due to the complexity of climbing robots,their climbing efficiency and accuracy need to be further improved.The new structure can improve the climbing efficiency.This paper analyzes climbing robots such as mechanical arms,magnetic attraction,and claws.Optimization methods and path planning can improve the accuracy of work.This paper involves some control methods,including complex intelligent control methods such as behavior-based robot control.This paper also investigates various kinematic planning methods and expounds and summarizes various path planning algorithms,including machine learning and reinforcement learning of artificial intelligence,ant colony algorithm,and other algorithms.Therefore,by analyzing the research status of climbing robots at home and abroad,this paper summarizes three important aspects of climbing robots,namely,structural design,control methods,and climbing strategies,elaborates on the achievements and existing problems of these key technologies,and looks forward to the future development trend and research direction of climbing robots.展开更多
Lizards use the synergy between their feet and tail to climb on slopes and vertical terrains.They use their soft adhesive feet with millions of small hairs to increase their contact area with the terrain surface and p...Lizards use the synergy between their feet and tail to climb on slopes and vertical terrains.They use their soft adhesive feet with millions of small hairs to increase their contact area with the terrain surface and press their tails against the terrain to actively maintain stability during climbing.Inspired by this,we propose a bio-inspired climbing robot based on a new approach wherein the synergy between soft feet and an active tail with a soft adhesive tip allows the robot to climb stably on even and uneven terrains at different slope angles.We evaluate and compare the climbing performance of the robot on three different terrains(hard,soft,and fluffy)at different slope angles.Various robot configurations are employed,including those with standard hard feet and soft feet in combination with an active tail-with and without a soft tip.The experimental results show that the robot having soft feet and a tail with the soft tip achieves the best climbing performance on all terrains,with maximum climbing slopes of 40°,45°,and 50°on fluffy,soft,and hard terrains,respectively.Its payload capacity depends on the type of terrain and the inclination angle.Moreover,our robot performs multi-terrain transitions(climbing from horizontal to sloped terrains)on three different terrains of a slope.This approach can allow a climbing robot to walk and climb on different terrains,extending the operational range of the robot to areas with complex terrains and slopes,e.g.,in inspection,exploration,and construction.展开更多
To inspect inner wires of the cylindrical cables on a cable-stayed bridge, a new bisected wheel-based cable climbing robot is designed. The simple structure and the moving mode are described and the static features of...To inspect inner wires of the cylindrical cables on a cable-stayed bridge, a new bisected wheel-based cable climbing robot is designed. The simple structure and the moving mode are described and the static features of the robot are analyzed. A cable with a diameter of 139 mm is selected as an example to calculate the design parameters of the robot. For safety energysaving landing in the case of electrical system failure, an electric damper based on back electromotive force and a gas damper with a slider-crank mechanism are introduced to exhaust the energy generated by gravity when the robot is slipping down along the cables. A simplified mathematical model is analyzed and the landing velocity is simulated. For the present design, the robot can climb up a cable with diameters varying from 65 to 205 mm with payloads below 3.5 kg. Several climbing experiments performed on real cables confirm that the proposed robot meets the demands of inspection.展开更多
Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments...Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments too challenging for traditional wheeled designs. To adhere to surfaces, biomimetic dry adhesives based on gecko feet have been proposed. These biomimetic dry adhesives work by using multi-scale compliant mechanisms to make intimate contact with different surfaces and adhere by using Van der Waals forces. Fabrication of these adhesives has frequently been challenging however, due to the difficulty in combining macro, micro and nanoscale compliance. We present an all polymer foot design for use with a hexapod climbing robot and a fabrication method to improve reliability and yield. A high strength, low-modulus silicone, TC-5005, is used to form the foot base and microscale fibres in one piece by using a two part mold. A macroscale foot design is produced using a 3D printer to produce a base mold, while lithographic definition of microscale fibres in a thick photoresist forms the ＇hairs＇ of the polymer foot. The adhesion of the silicone fibres by themselves or attached to the macro foot is examined to determine best strategies for placement and removal of feet to maximize adhesion. Results demonstrate the successful integration of micro and macro compliant feet for use in climbing on a variety of surfaces.展开更多
A new method called critical suction is used based on the wall climbing robot demands of miniature structure, moving smartly and low noise. It makes the robot achieve the homeostasis state in the suction cup, and in t...A new method called critical suction is used based on the wall climbing robot demands of miniature structure, moving smartly and low noise. It makes the robot achieve the homeostasis state in the suction cup, and in this condition the robot can stay on the wall reliably and move smartly. The fluid mechanics model and fluid network model are set up to analyze the robot suction system when the airflow is steady or changes suddenly. Furthermore, simulation results indicate the close relation between the key parameters of robot structure and the suction system. Finally the method of critical suction proves correct in theory.展开更多
A wall-climbing inspection robot has been designed to climb on safety-critical concrete structures by adhering to reinforcement steel bars(rebars)using permanent magnets to generate the adhesion forces.Simulation and ...A wall-climbing inspection robot has been designed to climb on safety-critical concrete structures by adhering to reinforcement steel bars(rebars)using permanent magnets to generate the adhesion forces.Simulation and experimental validation have been performed to determine the optimum flux focusing magnet configurations with the robot operating on 30–35 mm of concrete cover over rebars arranged in different patterns.The goal of adhesion force optimization is to be able to carry a ground-penetrating radar(GPR)sensor which detects rebar corrosion,concrete delamination,and concrete cover deterioration.The autonomous robot uses an ultra-wide band localization system and GPR data to control its motion trajectories to avoid regions where there is an insufficient density of rebars.Nondestructive testing(NDT)inspection data acquired by GPR are transmitted wirelessly to a ground station for processing and monitoring by NDT technicians.展开更多
This paper presents a new kind of leg mechanism with which the wall climbing robot can easily perform the ground to wall transition by itself.To get its walking envelope and limit position,the forward/inverse kinem...This paper presents a new kind of leg mechanism with which the wall climbing robot can easily perform the ground to wall transition by itself.To get its walking envelope and limit position,the forward/inverse kinematics and the statics of the mechanism are solved.All of these lay the foundation for ground to wall transition gait programing,mechanism parameter selection and optimization.展开更多
In this paper,a new tracked wall climbing robot with permanent magnetic units is designed,and the tension degree of robot’s tracks is found to have a significant impact on the robot’s adsorption performance.This tra...In this paper,a new tracked wall climbing robot with permanent magnetic units is designed,and the tension degree of robot’s tracks is found to have a significant impact on the robot’s adsorption performance.This tracked wall climbing robot is a remotely controlled robot.All the control devices can be installed on the robot body.All the permanent magnetic units are arranged on the light track.In order to illustrate the relationship between the tension degree and the adsorption performance,when absorbed on the vertical surface and 180⁃degree inverted surface,the static force analysis of the robot is presented.Finally,experiments were demonstrated to prove that higher tension degree of tracks can make adsorption performance better.展开更多
This paper proposes a new type of tri-sectional wheel-based cable climbing robot which is able to climb up vertical cylindrical cables of a cable-stayed bridge. The robot is composed of three pairs of wheels equally s...This paper proposes a new type of tri-sectional wheel-based cable climbing robot which is able to climb up vertical cylindrical cables of a cable-stayed bridge. The robot is composed of three pairs of wheels equally spaced circularly which are joined by six connecting boards to form a whole closed hexagonal body to clasp a cable. The whole design is entirely modular to enable to assenably the robot on-siteeasy eaoily. To analyze the static features of the robot, a mathematical model of climbing is deduced. Furthermore, taking a cable with a diameter of 80mm as an example, we calculate the design parameters of the robot. For safly landing in the case of electrical accident, a centrifugal speed regulator is proposed and applied to consume useless energy generated when the robot is slipping down along the cables. A simplified mathematical model of the landing mechanism is deduced. Finally, several experiments on the climbing mechanism demonstrate that the robot can carry payloads less than 2.2kg to climb up a cable with diameters varying from 65mm to 205mm.展开更多
Wall climbing robots have a wide range of applications in the field of transportation,petrochemicals,aerial construction,and other monitoring prospects;however,for complex defects on the wall,it is easy for the robot ...Wall climbing robots have a wide range of applications in the field of transportation,petrochemicals,aerial construction,and other monitoring prospects;however,for complex defects on the wall,it is easy for the robot to fall off from attachment.This paper puts forward the bionic wheel-tracked rolling adsorption wall-climbing robots.The paper designs flexible material as sealing material for the negative pressure chamber of wall-climbing robots through the imitation of the biological mechanism of the insect adhesion pads.The material has the advantages of wear resistance,strong wall adaptability,large load,simple structure,etc.,and it has a highly reliable and stable adsorption ability on unstructured and complex walls.The mathematical model of adsorption of the wall-crawling robot is constructed in different wall environments,and the kinematic analysis is carried out.The influence of the leakage on the adsorption capacity due to the deformation of the flexible sealing material,defects of the wall surface and the air ducts formed under different roughnesses is analyzed.Through the fabrication and experiment of the prototype,the correctness of the theoretical analysis is verified.The measured load capacity of the robot is 2.47 times its own weight,and it has great obstacle-crossing ability.展开更多
For the detection environment of complex walls such as high-rise buildings,a double helix wall climbing robot(DHWCR)with strong adsorption force and good stability is designed and developed,which uses symmetrical prop...For the detection environment of complex walls such as high-rise buildings,a double helix wall climbing robot(DHWCR)with strong adsorption force and good stability is designed and developed,which uses symmetrical propellers to provide adsorption force.The symmetrical driving structure can provide smooth thrust for the DHWCR,so that the robot can be absorbed to the wall surface with different roughness.A left and right control frame with multiple degrees of freedom is designed,which can adjust the fixed position of the brushless propeller motor in the front and back directions,realize the continuous adjustable thrust direction of the robot,and improve the flexibility of the robot movement.Using the front wheel steering mechanism with universal joint,the steering control of the DHWCR is realized by differential control.In the vertical to ground transition,the front and rear brushless motors can provide the pull up and oblique thrust,so that the DHWCR can smoothly transition to the vertical wall.The motion performance and adaptability of the DHWCR in the horizontal ground and vertical wall environment are tested.The results show that the DHWCR can switch motion between the horizontal ground and vertical wall,and can stably adsorb on the vertical wall with flexible attitude control.The DHWCR can move at a fast speed.The speed on the horizontal ground is higher than that on the vertical wall,which verifies the feasibility and reliability of the DHWCR moving stably on the vertical wall.展开更多
Maintenance of wind turbine farms is a huge task,with associated significant risks and potential hazard to the safety and well-being of people who are responsible for carrying the tower inspection tasks.Periodic inspe...Maintenance of wind turbine farms is a huge task,with associated significant risks and potential hazard to the safety and well-being of people who are responsible for carrying the tower inspection tasks.Periodic inspections are required for wind turbine tower to ensure that the wind turbines are in full working order,with no signs of potential failure.Therefore,the development of an automated wind tower inspection system has been very cnucial for the overall performance of the renewable wind power generation industry.In order to determine the life span of the tower,an investigation of robot design is discussed in this paper.It presents how a mechanical spring-loaded climbing robot can be designed and constructed to climb and rotate 360°around the tower.An adjustable circular shape robot is designed that allows the device to fit in different diameters of the wind generator tower.The rotational module is designed to allow the wheels to rotate and be able to go in a circular motion.The design further incorporates a suspension that allows the robot to go through any obstacle.This paper also presents a finite element spring stress analy sis and Simulink control system model to find the optimal parameters that are required for the wind tower climbing robot.展开更多
Reticular structures are the basis of major infrastructure projects,including bridges,electrical pylons and airports.However,inspecting and maintaining these structures is both expensive and hazardous,traditionally re...Reticular structures are the basis of major infrastructure projects,including bridges,electrical pylons and airports.However,inspecting and maintaining these structures is both expensive and hazardous,traditionally requiring human involvement.While some research has been conducted in this field of study,most efforts focus on faults identification through images or the design of robotic platforms,often neglecting the autonomous navigation of robots through the structure.This study addresses this limitation by proposing methods to detect navigable surfaces in truss structures,thereby enhancing the autonomous capabilities of climbing robots to navigate through these environments.The paper proposes multiple approaches for the binary segmentation between navigable surfaces and background from 3D point clouds captured from metallic trusses.Approaches can be classified into two paradigms:analytical algorithms and deep learning methods.Within the analytical approach,an ad hoc algorithm is developed for segmenting the structures,leveraging different techniques to evaluate the eigendecomposition of planar patches within the point cloud.In parallel,widely used and advanced deep learning models,including PointNet,PointNet++,MinkUNet34C,and PointTransformerV3,are trained and evaluated for the same task.A comparative analysis of these paradigms reveals some key insights.The analytical algorithm demonstrates easier parameter adjustment and comparable performance to that of the deep learning models,despite the latter’s higher computational demands.Nevertheless,the deep learning models stand out in segmentation accuracy,with PointTransformerV3 achieving impressive results,such as a Mean Intersection Over Union(mIoU)of approximately 97%.This study highlights the potential of analytical and deep learning approaches to improve the autonomous navigation of climbing robots in complex truss structures.The findings underscore the trade-offs between computational efficiency and segmentation performance,offering valuable insights for future research and practical applications in autonomous infrastructure maintenance and inspection.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research&Development Program of China(Grant No.2020YFB1313504)the State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
文摘Gecko-inspired robots have significant potential applications;however,deviations in the yaw direction during locomotion are inevitable for legged robots that lack external sensing.These deviations cause the robot to stray from its intended path.Therefore,a cost-effective and straightforward solution is essential for reducing this deviation.In nature,the tail is often used to maintain balance and stability.Similarly,it has been used in robots to improve manoeuvrability and stability.Our aim is to reduce this deviation using a morphological computation approach,specifically by adding a tail.To test this hypothesis,we investigated four different tails(rigid plate,rigid gecko-shaped,soft plate,and soft gecko-shaped)and assessed the deviation of the robot with these tails on different slopes.Additionally,to evaluate the influence of different tail parameters,such as material,shape,and linkage,we investigated the locomotion performance in terms of the robot's climbing speed on slopes,its ability to turn at narrow corners,and the resistance of the tails to external disturbances.A new auto-reset joint was designed to ensure that a disturbed tail could be quickly reset.Our results demonstrate that the yaw deviation of the robot can be reduced by applying a tail.Among the four tails,the soft gecko-shaped tail was the most effective for most tasks.In summary,our findings demonstrate the functional role of the tail in reducing yaw deviation,improving climbing ability and stability and provide a reference for selecting the most suitable tail for geckoinspired robots.
文摘The internally balanced theory proposed by the Japanese researchers,solved the contradiction between adsorption ability and moving capability of the permanent magnetic adsorption mechanism.However,it still has some problems when applied to wall climbing robots.This paper analyzes and improves this theory,and the improved internally balanced theory satisfies the requirements of the adsorption mechanism significantly.Finally,a practical prototype is proposed based on this method,and both the analysis using ANSYS and the experiment results justify the design validity.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52075134).
文摘In recent years,the robot industry has developed rapidly,and researchers and enterprises have begun to pay more attention to this industry.People are barely familiar with climbing robots,a kind of special robot.However,from their practical value and scientific research value,climbing robots should studied further.This paper analyzes and summarizes the key technologies of climbing robots,introduces various kinds of climbing robots,and examines their advantages and disadvantages to provide a reference for future researchers.Many countries have studied climbing robots and made some achievements.However,due to the complexity of climbing robots,their climbing efficiency and accuracy need to be further improved.The new structure can improve the climbing efficiency.This paper analyzes climbing robots such as mechanical arms,magnetic attraction,and claws.Optimization methods and path planning can improve the accuracy of work.This paper involves some control methods,including complex intelligent control methods such as behavior-based robot control.This paper also investigates various kinematic planning methods and expounds and summarizes various path planning algorithms,including machine learning and reinforcement learning of artificial intelligence,ant colony algorithm,and other algorithms.Therefore,by analyzing the research status of climbing robots at home and abroad,this paper summarizes three important aspects of climbing robots,namely,structural design,control methods,and climbing strategies,elaborates on the achievements and existing problems of these key technologies,and looks forward to the future development trend and research direction of climbing robots.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China,Topic 4-NUAA(Grant No.2020 YFB1313504)to PM.
文摘Lizards use the synergy between their feet and tail to climb on slopes and vertical terrains.They use their soft adhesive feet with millions of small hairs to increase their contact area with the terrain surface and press their tails against the terrain to actively maintain stability during climbing.Inspired by this,we propose a bio-inspired climbing robot based on a new approach wherein the synergy between soft feet and an active tail with a soft adhesive tip allows the robot to climb stably on even and uneven terrains at different slope angles.We evaluate and compare the climbing performance of the robot on three different terrains(hard,soft,and fluffy)at different slope angles.Various robot configurations are employed,including those with standard hard feet and soft feet in combination with an active tail-with and without a soft tip.The experimental results show that the robot having soft feet and a tail with the soft tip achieves the best climbing performance on all terrains,with maximum climbing slopes of 40°,45°,and 50°on fluffy,soft,and hard terrains,respectively.Its payload capacity depends on the type of terrain and the inclination angle.Moreover,our robot performs multi-terrain transitions(climbing from horizontal to sloped terrains)on three different terrains of a slope.This approach can allow a climbing robot to walk and climb on different terrains,extending the operational range of the robot to areas with complex terrains and slopes,e.g.,in inspection,exploration,and construction.
基金The National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863Program) (No.2006AA04Z234)
文摘To inspect inner wires of the cylindrical cables on a cable-stayed bridge, a new bisected wheel-based cable climbing robot is designed. The simple structure and the moving mode are described and the static features of the robot are analyzed. A cable with a diameter of 139 mm is selected as an example to calculate the design parameters of the robot. For safety energysaving landing in the case of electrical system failure, an electric damper based on back electromotive force and a gas damper with a slider-crank mechanism are introduced to exhaust the energy generated by gravity when the robot is slipping down along the cables. A simplified mathematical model is analyzed and the landing velocity is simulated. For the present design, the robot can climb up a cable with diameters varying from 65 to 205 mm with payloads below 3.5 kg. Several climbing experiments performed on real cables confirm that the proposed robot meets the demands of inspection.
文摘Climbing robots are of potential use for surveillance, inspection and exploration in different environments. In particular, the use of climbing robots for space exploration can allow scientists to explore environments too challenging for traditional wheeled designs. To adhere to surfaces, biomimetic dry adhesives based on gecko feet have been proposed. These biomimetic dry adhesives work by using multi-scale compliant mechanisms to make intimate contact with different surfaces and adhere by using Van der Waals forces. Fabrication of these adhesives has frequently been challenging however, due to the difficulty in combining macro, micro and nanoscale compliance. We present an all polymer foot design for use with a hexapod climbing robot and a fabrication method to improve reliability and yield. A high strength, low-modulus silicone, TC-5005, is used to form the foot base and microscale fibres in one piece by using a two part mold. A macroscale foot design is produced using a 3D printer to produce a base mold, while lithographic definition of microscale fibres in a thick photoresist forms the ＇hairs＇ of the polymer foot. The adhesion of the silicone fibres by themselves or attached to the macro foot is examined to determine best strategies for placement and removal of feet to maximize adhesion. Results demonstrate the successful integration of micro and macro compliant feet for use in climbing on a variety of surfaces.
基金Sponsored byt he Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars ,State Education Ministry(20060232001)
文摘A new method called critical suction is used based on the wall climbing robot demands of miniature structure, moving smartly and low noise. It makes the robot achieve the homeostasis state in the suction cup, and in this condition the robot can stay on the wall reliably and move smartly. The fluid mechanics model and fluid network model are set up to analyze the robot suction system when the airflow is steady or changes suddenly. Furthermore, simulation results indicate the close relation between the key parameters of robot structure and the suction system. Finally the method of critical suction proves correct in theory.
基金Innovate UK grant(No.103668)funded the SIRCAUR project with the following partners:London South Bank University(LSBU/LSBIC),Inno-vative Technology&Science Ltd(InnotecUK),and TWI Ltd.
文摘A wall-climbing inspection robot has been designed to climb on safety-critical concrete structures by adhering to reinforcement steel bars(rebars)using permanent magnets to generate the adhesion forces.Simulation and experimental validation have been performed to determine the optimum flux focusing magnet configurations with the robot operating on 30–35 mm of concrete cover over rebars arranged in different patterns.The goal of adhesion force optimization is to be able to carry a ground-penetrating radar(GPR)sensor which detects rebar corrosion,concrete delamination,and concrete cover deterioration.The autonomous robot uses an ultra-wide band localization system and GPR data to control its motion trajectories to avoid regions where there is an insufficient density of rebars.Nondestructive testing(NDT)inspection data acquired by GPR are transmitted wirelessly to a ground station for processing and monitoring by NDT technicians.
文摘This paper presents a new kind of leg mechanism with which the wall climbing robot can easily perform the ground to wall transition by itself.To get its walking envelope and limit position,the forward/inverse kinematics and the statics of the mechanism are solved.All of these lay the foundation for ground to wall transition gait programing,mechanism parameter selection and optimization.
基金the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.3194047)the Joint Program of Beijing Municipal Foundation and Education Commission(Grant No.KZ202010009015)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51775002).
文摘In this paper,a new tracked wall climbing robot with permanent magnetic units is designed,and the tension degree of robot’s tracks is found to have a significant impact on the robot’s adsorption performance.This tracked wall climbing robot is a remotely controlled robot.All the control devices can be installed on the robot body.All the permanent magnetic units are arranged on the light track.In order to illustrate the relationship between the tension degree and the adsorption performance,when absorbed on the vertical surface and 180⁃degree inverted surface,the static force analysis of the robot is presented.Finally,experiments were demonstrated to prove that higher tension degree of tracks can make adsorption performance better.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Programme of China （No. 2006AA04Z234） and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation （ No. 20090461051 ）
文摘This paper proposes a new type of tri-sectional wheel-based cable climbing robot which is able to climb up vertical cylindrical cables of a cable-stayed bridge. The robot is composed of three pairs of wheels equally spaced circularly which are joined by six connecting boards to form a whole closed hexagonal body to clasp a cable. The whole design is entirely modular to enable to assenably the robot on-siteeasy eaoily. To analyze the static features of the robot, a mathematical model of climbing is deduced. Furthermore, taking a cable with a diameter of 80mm as an example, we calculate the design parameters of the robot. For safly landing in the case of electrical accident, a centrifugal speed regulator is proposed and applied to consume useless energy generated when the robot is slipping down along the cables. A simplified mathematical model of the landing mechanism is deduced. Finally, several experiments on the climbing mechanism demonstrate that the robot can carry payloads less than 2.2kg to climb up a cable with diameters varying from 65mm to 205mm.
基金supported by the Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures(No.1005-IZD23002-25)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52205018)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK20220894)the State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems(HIT)(No.SKLRS-2023-KF-25).
文摘Wall climbing robots have a wide range of applications in the field of transportation,petrochemicals,aerial construction,and other monitoring prospects;however,for complex defects on the wall,it is easy for the robot to fall off from attachment.This paper puts forward the bionic wheel-tracked rolling adsorption wall-climbing robots.The paper designs flexible material as sealing material for the negative pressure chamber of wall-climbing robots through the imitation of the biological mechanism of the insect adhesion pads.The material has the advantages of wear resistance,strong wall adaptability,large load,simple structure,etc.,and it has a highly reliable and stable adsorption ability on unstructured and complex walls.The mathematical model of adsorption of the wall-crawling robot is constructed in different wall environments,and the kinematic analysis is carried out.The influence of the leakage on the adsorption capacity due to the deformation of the flexible sealing material,defects of the wall surface and the air ducts formed under different roughnesses is analyzed.Through the fabrication and experiment of the prototype,the correctness of the theoretical analysis is verified.The measured load capacity of the robot is 2.47 times its own weight,and it has great obstacle-crossing ability.
基金supported by the Key Research Development and Promotion Special Project of Henan Province,under Grant 212102310119 and 212102210358Scientific Research Foundation for High-level Talents of Henan Institute of Technology,under Grant KQ1869+7 种基金2021 Provincial Higher Education Teaching Reform General Project"Research and Practice of Grassroots Teaching Management Construction in Local Application-oriented Universities under the Background of Professional Certification",under Grant SJGY20210520University-Industry Collaborative Education Program,under Grant 202101187010 and 202102120046Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students of Henan Province,under Grant 202211329011Educational and Teaching Reform Research and Practice Project of Henan Institute of Technology,under Grant 2021-YB023 and JJXY-2021005Innovative Education Curriculum Construction Project of Henan Institute of Technology,under Grant CX-2021-0052022 Xinxiang Federation of Social Sciences Research topic,under Grant SKL-2022-254 and SKL-2022-2282022 Annual Research Topic of Henan Federation of Social Sciences,under Grant SKL-2022-26922022 Annual Research Project of Henan Federation of Social Sciences:"Research on Rural Revitalization Strategy of Financial Service Model Innovation in Henan Province",under Grant SKL-2022-2692.
文摘For the detection environment of complex walls such as high-rise buildings,a double helix wall climbing robot(DHWCR)with strong adsorption force and good stability is designed and developed,which uses symmetrical propellers to provide adsorption force.The symmetrical driving structure can provide smooth thrust for the DHWCR,so that the robot can be absorbed to the wall surface with different roughness.A left and right control frame with multiple degrees of freedom is designed,which can adjust the fixed position of the brushless propeller motor in the front and back directions,realize the continuous adjustable thrust direction of the robot,and improve the flexibility of the robot movement.Using the front wheel steering mechanism with universal joint,the steering control of the DHWCR is realized by differential control.In the vertical to ground transition,the front and rear brushless motors can provide the pull up and oblique thrust,so that the DHWCR can smoothly transition to the vertical wall.The motion performance and adaptability of the DHWCR in the horizontal ground and vertical wall environment are tested.The results show that the DHWCR can switch motion between the horizontal ground and vertical wall,and can stably adsorb on the vertical wall with flexible attitude control.The DHWCR can move at a fast speed.The speed on the horizontal ground is higher than that on the vertical wall,which verifies the feasibility and reliability of the DHWCR moving stably on the vertical wall.
文摘Maintenance of wind turbine farms is a huge task,with associated significant risks and potential hazard to the safety and well-being of people who are responsible for carrying the tower inspection tasks.Periodic inspections are required for wind turbine tower to ensure that the wind turbines are in full working order,with no signs of potential failure.Therefore,the development of an automated wind tower inspection system has been very cnucial for the overall performance of the renewable wind power generation industry.In order to determine the life span of the tower,an investigation of robot design is discussed in this paper.It presents how a mechanical spring-loaded climbing robot can be designed and constructed to climb and rotate 360°around the tower.An adjustable circular shape robot is designed that allows the device to fit in different diameters of the wind generator tower.The rotational module is designed to allow the wheels to rotate and be able to go in a circular motion.The design further incorporates a suspension that allows the robot to go through any obstacle.This paper also presents a finite element spring stress analy sis and Simulink control system model to find the optimal parameters that are required for the wind tower climbing robot.
基金funded by the spanish Ministry of Science,Innovation and Universities as part of the project PID2020-116418RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.
文摘Reticular structures are the basis of major infrastructure projects,including bridges,electrical pylons and airports.However,inspecting and maintaining these structures is both expensive and hazardous,traditionally requiring human involvement.While some research has been conducted in this field of study,most efforts focus on faults identification through images or the design of robotic platforms,often neglecting the autonomous navigation of robots through the structure.This study addresses this limitation by proposing methods to detect navigable surfaces in truss structures,thereby enhancing the autonomous capabilities of climbing robots to navigate through these environments.The paper proposes multiple approaches for the binary segmentation between navigable surfaces and background from 3D point clouds captured from metallic trusses.Approaches can be classified into two paradigms:analytical algorithms and deep learning methods.Within the analytical approach,an ad hoc algorithm is developed for segmenting the structures,leveraging different techniques to evaluate the eigendecomposition of planar patches within the point cloud.In parallel,widely used and advanced deep learning models,including PointNet,PointNet++,MinkUNet34C,and PointTransformerV3,are trained and evaluated for the same task.A comparative analysis of these paradigms reveals some key insights.The analytical algorithm demonstrates easier parameter adjustment and comparable performance to that of the deep learning models,despite the latter’s higher computational demands.Nevertheless,the deep learning models stand out in segmentation accuracy,with PointTransformerV3 achieving impressive results,such as a Mean Intersection Over Union(mIoU)of approximately 97%.This study highlights the potential of analytical and deep learning approaches to improve the autonomous navigation of climbing robots in complex truss structures.The findings underscore the trade-offs between computational efficiency and segmentation performance,offering valuable insights for future research and practical applications in autonomous infrastructure maintenance and inspection.
