Abstract
This paper describes an insect-inspired wall-climbing robot with microfabricated adhesive pads. The pad is composed of a glass pad which adheres to the wall by meniscus force, and a PDMS pad which exhibits large friction. The pad also has a porous layer which is impregnated with water and supplies and withdraws water on the glass pad. Adhesive force of the pad was measured on a glass plate. The results showed that a constant adhesive force of 400 mN was obtained. Furthermore, a hexapod robot with the composite adhesive pads on its feet was developed. The robot walked on a 40 degree slope with wave gait.
