The hybrid OmniClimber robot: Wheel based climbing, arm based plane transition, and switchable magnet adhesion

CATEGORY: ROBOTS
The hybrid OmniClimber robot: Wheel based climbing, arm based plane transition, and switchable magnet adhesion

Type	Journal Article
Author	Mahmoud Tavakoli
Author	João Lourenço
URL	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957415816300058
Volume	36
Pages	136-146
Publication	Mechatronics
Date	June 2016
Abstract	Climbing robots that integrate an articulated arm as their main climbing mechanism can take advantage of their arm for plane transition and thereby operate on 3D structures rather than only climbing planar surfaces. However, they are usually slower than wheel based climbing robots. Authors address this problem by integrating a light-weight arm and adhesion mechanism into an omnidirectional wheel based climbing robot, forming a hybrid mechanism that is agile in climbing, while still able to perform plane transition. Researchers designed a 2DOF (Degree of Freedom) planar mechanism with 2 linear actuators as a light-weight manipulator for the transition mechanism. They customized actuated switchable magnets both for the robot chassis and as the adhesion unit of the arm. Such units enabled them to control the amount of magnetic adhesion force, resulting in better adaptation to varying surface characteristics. The adhesion units are safe for climbing applications with low power consumption.