Wall Climbing Robot Using Surface Tension

Abstract

This paper describes a wall-climbing robot inspired by insects, which can move on a smooth vertical wall and ceiling using surface tension. An adhesion mechanism based on adhesive organs of ants is employed, where a meniscus force of a water droplet is used for normal adhesion and fictional forces of rubber-wrapped wheels are used for tangential propulsion. In order to use the meniscus force during moving on the slop and ceiling. We installed two pieces of adhesive pads made of glass. One was installed on the front end of the robot and the other was installed under the shaft of the wheels. The robot weighs 8.3 grams, and moves by dragging the adhesive pads using its wheels. The experimental results show that the robot can successfully move by 300mm, 195 mm, and 100 mm on the slope of 80°, 90°, and 180°, respectively.