This paper presents a novel robotic platform, Abigaille II, designed to climb vertical surfaces using dry adhesion. Abigaille II is a lightweight hexapod prototype actuated by 18 miniaturized motors. The robot's feet consist of adhesive patches, which have microhairs with mushroomshaped caps fixed on the top of millimeter-scale flexible posts. A pentapedal gait is used to climb flat vertical surfaces as this gait maximizes the number of legs in contact to the surface. Abigaille can however also walk by using other gaits, including the tripod gait.
We analyze high-refractive-index-contrast subwavelength grating structures using truncated coupled mode theory (CMT). CMT not only provides physical insight into the role of each mode in the overall response but also allows for improved design. An analytic expression is derived for the design of broadband reflectors, providing a near-optimal design that is within 0.08% of the maximum broadband reflectivity calculated by the finite-difference time-domain method. Furthermore, the CMT is used to design a high-quality narrow-band reflector with 28% improved quality factor over previously reported results, as quantified by rigorous coupled wave analysis.
This paper presents the kinematic analysis of a hexapod climbing robot relying on the use of dry adhesion. Kinematics equations are validated in both multi-body software simulation and robotic platform test. A particular trajectory of the legs, conceived to minimize force required to detach the robotic feet from a vertical wall, is proposed and tested. Further study is performed based on data acquired by forces exerted on the tip of each robotic leg during locomotion. Experimental results proved the correctness of kinematic analysis and its potential use for optimizing gait and adhesion features during wall climbing.
The preliminary design of a robot for future planetary space applications is presented. This hexapod robot has legs inspired by the spider, which it uses to manoeuvre across horizontal surfaces. Designed as a scientific platform for future research, mechanically, this robot is lightweight, compact and modular. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used as a controller, with one soft processor controlling each leg, adding additional modularity. This robot is shown to be capable of walking across horizontal surfaces, and future versions will be capable of climbing vertically, using bio-inspired dry adhesives.
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