Adsorption Performance of Sliding Wall-Climbing Robot

Sliding wall-climbing robot （SWCR） is applied worldwide for its continuous motion, however, considerable air leakage causes two problems： great power consumption and big noise, and they constraint the robot＇s comprehensive performance. So far, effective theoretical model is still lacked to solve the problems. The concept of SWCR＇s adsorption performance is presented, and the techniques of improving utilization rate of given adsorption force and utilization rate of power are studied respectively to improve SWCR＇s adsorption performance. The effect of locomotion mechanism selection and seal＇s pressure allocation upon utilization rate of given adsorption force is discussed, and the theoretical way for relevant parameters optimization are provided. The directions for improving utilization rate of power are pointed out based on the detail analysis results of suction system＇s thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. On this condition, a design method for SWCR-specific impeller is presented, which shows how the impeller＇s key parameters impact its aerodynamic performance with the aid of computational fluid dynamics （CFD） simulations. The robot prototype, BIT Climber, is developed, and its functions such as mobility, adaptability on wall surface, payload, obstacle ability and wall surface inspection are tested. Through the experiments for the adhesion performance of the robot adsorption system on the normal wall surface, at the impeller＇s rated rotating speed, the total adsorption force can reach 237.2 N, the average effective negative pressure is 3.02 kPa and the design error is 3.8% only, which indicates a high efficiency. Furthermore, it is found that the robot suction system＇s static pressure efficiency reaches 84% and utilization rate of adsorption force 81% by the experiment. This thermodynamics model and SWCR-specific impeller design method can effectively improve SWCR＇s adsorption performance and expand this robot applicability on the various walls. A sliding wall-climbing robot with high adhesion efficiency is developed, and this robot has the features of light body in weight, small size in structure and good capability in payload.

Fault detection and identification based on combining logic and model in a wall-climbing robot

A combined logic- and model-based approach to fault detection and identification （FDI） in a suction foot control system of a wall-climbing robot is presented in this paper. For the control system, some fault models are derived by kinematics analysis. Moreover, the logic relations of the system states are known in advance. First, a fault tree is used to analyze the system by evaluating the basic events （elementary causes）, which can lead to a root event （a particular fault）. Then, a multiple-model adaptive estimation algorithm is used to detect and identify the model-known faults. Finally, based on the system states of the robot and the results of the estimation, the model-unknown faults are also identified using logical reasoning. Experiments show that the proposed approach based on the combination of logical reasoning and model estimating is efficient in the FDI of the robot.

On Transit Gait Programming of Six-legged Wall-climbing Robot

Transit gait programming is a key problem for a multi-legged robot to climb automatically from the ground up the wall, as well as between wall intersections. In this paper, a new idea is put forward by which the complex transit gait is decomposed into a sequence of two relatively simpler parts - single-leg motion and body pitching motion. An algorithm based on the above concept shows its feasibility and effectiveness in the graphic kinematics simulation.

Research on Alternatively Moving Vacuum Absorbing Wall-climbing Robot

In conection with the complex working-surroundings of the wall-climbing Robot, this paper researched akind of alternatively moving mechanism with good obstacle-surmounting ability and high moving speed, making use ofthe thought of bionics. This paper designed a kind of self-adjusting multi-vacuum sucker. Furthermore, it employedthe theory of vacuum system to establish the work mathematics madel of control switch to are sucking disc and presented the design parameter of the control switch. In addition, this paper made use of the thought of bionics to design aobstacle-surmounting mechanism used in wall-climbing robot. Also it employed the theory Of robotics to analyze the kinematics and the dynamics movement of die robot.

Wall-climbing Robot with Negative Pressure Sucker Used for Cleaning Work

The Wall climbing Robot is a kind of robot used in extremely hazardous environment, which has very widely use. In this paper, we introduced a new kind of wall climbing robot, which are used in cleaning work. It was designed with single sucker and special designed sealing mechanism, which can be used to do cleaning work on ceramic and glasses surface of high buildings(about 70 meters).

Development and control of flexible pneumatic wall-climbing robot

A new kind of flexible pneumatic wall-climbing robot,named WALKMAN-I,was proposed. WALKMAN-I is basically composed of a flexible pneumatic actuator (FPA),a flexible pneumatic spherical joint and six suction cups. It has many characteristics of low-cost,lightweight,simple structure and good flexibility. Its operating principle was introduced. Then three basic locomotion modes,which are linear motion,curvilinear motion and crossing the orthogonal planes,were presented. The safety conditions of WALKMAN-I were discussed and built. Finally,the control system was designed and experiments were carried out. Experimental results show that WALKMAN-I is able to climb on the vertical wall surface along a straight line or a curved path,and has the ability of crossing orthogonal planes and obstacles. The maximum rotation angle reaches 90°,the maximum velocity reaches 5 mm/s,and the rotation angle and the moving velocity of WALKMAN-I can be easily controlled.

An Autonomous Wall-Climbing Robot for Inspection of Reinforced Concrete Structures: SIRCAUR

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.

A Four-legged Wall-climbing Robot with Spines and Miniature Setae Array Inspired by Longicorn and Gecko

In industrial applications,climbing robots are widely used for climbing and detection of rough or smooth pipe surfaces.Inspired by the special claws of longicorn is that can crawl on rough surfaces and the array of tiny bristles of geckos that can crawl on smooth surfaces,a new type of wall-climbing robot for rough or smooth surfaces is proposed in this paper.The bionic palms of the robot are suggested with special bionic hooks inspired by the longicorn and bionic adhesive materials inspired by the gecko with a good performance on adhering on the surfaces.The special bionic hooks are manufactured by the 3D printing method and the bionic adhesive materials are made by the polymer print lithography technology.These two different bionic adhere accessory are used on the robot’s palm to achieve climbing on the different surfaces.This foldable climbing robot can not only bend its own body to accommodate the cylindrical contact surfaces of different diameters,but also crawl on vertical rough and smooth surfaces using their bionic palms.

Design and Technical Development of Wall-Climbing Robots:A Review

Once working at heights is dangerous,it is a significant accident.These accidents brought substantial economic losses and caused a large number of casualties.Therefore,it is essential to use wall-climbing robots to replace manual work at heights.The design of the wall-climbing robot is inspired by the climbing action of insects or animals.An intelligent bionic robot device can carry special equipment to operate on the wall and perform some dangerous operations instead of firefighters or inspection personnel more efficiently.The scope of application is vast.This paper firstly summarizes the research progress of wall-climbing robots with three different moving methods:wheel-climbing,crawler-based,and leg-footed robots;summarizes the applications and breakthroughs of four adsorption technologies:negative pressure,magnetic force,bionic and electrostatic;discusses the application of motion control algorithms in wall-climbing robots.Secondly,the advantages and disadvantages of different migration modes and adsorption methods are pointed out.The distribution and advantages of the combined application of different migration modes and adsorption methods are analyzed.In addition,the future development trend of wall-climbing robots and the promoting effect of bionic technology development on wall-climbing robots are proposed.The content of this paper will provide helpful guidance for the research of wall-climbing robots.

Design,Modeling and Experimentation of a Biomimetic Wall-climbing Robot for Multiple Surfaces

Wall-climbing robots can work on steep terrain and obtain environment information in three dimensions for human in real time,which can improve operation efficiency.However,traditional single-mode robots cannot ensure the stable attachment on complex wall surfaces.Inspired by the structure characteristics of flies and clingfishes,three bionic structures including the flexible spine wheel,the adhesive material and the adsorption system are proposed.Aiming at task requirements on multiple walls and based on the above three bionic structures,a wall-climbing robot with the composed mode of“grabbing+adhesion+adsorption”is presented v/a the law of mechanism configuration synthesis.Using static analysis,the safe attachment conditions for the robot on smooth and rough walls are that the adsorption force is 30 N or more.Based on Newton's Euler and Lagrange formulas,the dynamic equations of the robot on vertical walls are established to deduce that the maximum theoretical torque of the driving motor is 1.43 N·m at a uniform speed.Finally,the prototype of the wall-climbing robot is manufactured and tested on the vertical lime wall,coarse sandpaper wall and acrylic ceiling wall.Meanwhile,experiment results imply that the average maximum moving speed and the corresponding load are 7.19 cm·s-1 and 0.8 kg on the vertical lime wall,7.78 cm·s-1 and 0.6 kg on the coarse sandpaper wall,and 5.93 cm·s-1 and 0.2 kg on the acrylic ceiling wall respectively.These findings could provide practical reference for the robot’s application on walls.

A Three-row Opposed Gripping Mechanism with Bioinspired Spiny Toes for Wall-climbing Robots

This paper presents a study of a three-row opposed gripping mechanism made of bioinspired spiny toes.An insect Serica orientalis Motschulsky's tarsal system was first described and studied.A compliant single spiny toe model was established assuming that the contact asperities were spheres.Following the single toe contact model,a spiny toe array's contact model was then developed using asperity height's distribution fiinction.By studying the cngaging and disengaging process of the single toe,the mechanical behavior of the toe and toe array were addressed.The toes as well as the arrays were manufacturcd via rapid prototyping.A customized apparatus using dis-placement-control method has been carried out to measure the pull-in forces and pull-ofT positions of the single toe and toe array undcr various compression conditions.Based on the understanding,a three-row opposed gripping mechanism with radial configuration for wall-climbing robots was designed and fabricated according to the mechanical behaviors of the toe and array.Using an opposed spoke con figuration with 3 rows of 31 toes on each linkage array,the mechanism designed as a foot of climbing robots can vertically resist at least 1 kg of load on rough inverted surface,while the maximum normal load is as high as 31 N.The findings may provide a way in developing a high payload wall-climbing robot system for practical applications.

High-performance wall-climbingrobot for inspection and maintenance

A wall-climbing robot that can continuously work on many types of wall surfaces has been developed. This robot based on low-vacuum adsorption principle consists of a locomotion mecha- nism, a sealing device, a fluid machine and a detecting system. The adsorption force is analyzed in details and its influencing factors are given. The robot prototype, which has the features of high ad- hesion efficiency, light body in weight, small size in structure and good capability in payload, is test- ed in outdoor and indoor environments. Through the experiments, the influences of the impeller slit and the seal clearance are discussed. In addition, the robot functions such as adsorption perform- ance, locomotion performance and wall adaptability are tested by experiments. The experiments have verified that the robot not only can climb on many types of wall surfaces, but also has outstand- ing locomotion ability and payload capacity.

基于RobotStudio的视觉分拣打磨工作站仿真设计

为解决中小型零件混流自动化生产等问题,提出基于RobotStudio的工业机器人视觉分拣打磨工作站的仿真设计方案。根据零件的生产工艺流程,利用UG软件创建视觉分拣打磨工作站的整体布局;通过分析工作站各个模块功能,设计了各模块的结构;利用RobotStudio软件构建了工作站仿真模型。以视觉引导Smart组件和输送链跟踪仿真为例,阐述了ABB工业机器人通过视觉引导获取工件空间位姿的四元数和欧拉角的转换方法,并介绍了视觉拍照、机器人与工业相机通信等动态仿真的设置过程,以及输送链跟踪动态效果的设置方法。为实现工作站全过程仿真,设计了整体工作站逻辑,编制了仿真工作站离线程序,并将仿真工作站同步到实验平台调试验证。该设计可为智能制造生产线的设计、制造及应用提供参考。

A Wheeled Wall-Climbing Robot with Bio-Inspired Spine Mechanisms

This paper presents a wheeled wall-climbing robot with the ability to climb concrete, brick walls using circular arrays of miniature spines located around the wheel. The robot consists of two driving wheels and a flexible tail, just like letter “T”, so it is called Tbot. The simple and effective structure of Tbot enables it to be steerable and to transition from horizontal to vertical surfaces rapidly and stably. Inspired by the structure and mechanics of the tarsal chain in the Serica orientalis Motschulsky, a compliant spine mechanism was developed. With the bio-inspired compliant spine mechanism, the climbing performance of Tbot was improved. It could climb on 100° （10° past vertical） brick walls at a speed of 10 cm·s^-1. A mechanical model is also presented to analyze the forces acting on spine during a climbing cycle as well as load share between multi-spines. The simu- lation and experiment results show that the mechanical model is suitable and useful in the optimum design of Tbot.

基于Robotstudio的工业机器人课程教学设计与实践

阐述工业机器人实训课程教学实践,将Robotstudio软件融入课程教学中,探讨以实例项目驱动的教学内容设计,以虚实结合手段提升课堂教学效果的教学模式,从而实现教学与实践的统一。

Direct 4D printing of functionally graded hydrogel networks for biodegradable,untethered,and multimorphic soft robots

Recent advances in functionally graded additive manufacturing(FGAM)technology have enabled the seamless hybridization of multiple functionalities in a single structure.Soft robotics can become one of the largest beneficiaries of these advances,through the design of a facile four-dimensional(4D)FGAM process that can grant an intelligent stimuli-responsive mechanical functionality to the printed objects.Herein,we present a simple binder jetting approach for the 4D printing of functionally graded porous multi-materials(FGMM)by introducing rationally designed graded multiphase feeder beds.Compositionally graded cross-linking agents gradually form stable porous network structures within aqueous polymer particles,enabling programmable hygroscopic deformation without complex mechanical designs.Furthermore,a systematic bed design incorporating additional functional agents enables a multi-stimuli-responsive and untethered soft robot with stark stimulus selectivity.The biodegradability of the proposed 4D-printed soft robot further ensures the sustainability of our approach,with immediate degradation rates of 96.6%within 72 h.The proposed 4D printing concept for FGMMs can create new opportunities for intelligent and sustainable additive manufacturing in soft robotics.

Smart Gait:A Gait Optimization Framework for Hexapod Robots

The current gait planning for legged robots is mostly based on human presets,which cannot match the flexible characteristics of natural mammals.This paper proposes a gait optimization framework for hexapod robots called Smart Gait.Smart Gait contains three modules:swing leg trajectory optimization,gait period&duty optimization,and gait sequence optimization.The full dynamics of a single leg,and the centroid dynamics of the overall robot are considered in the respective modules.The Smart Gait not only helps the robot to decrease the energy consumption when in locomotion,mostly,it enables the hexapod robot to determine its gait pattern transitions based on its current state,instead of repeating the formalistic clock-set step cycles.Our Smart Gait framework allows the hexapod robot to behave nimbly as a living animal when in 3D movements for the first time.The Smart Gait framework combines offline and online optimizations without any fussy data-driven training procedures,and it can run efficiently on board in real-time after deployment.Various experiments are carried out on the hexapod robot LittleStrong.The results show that the energy consumption is reduced by 15.9%when in locomotion.Adaptive gait patterns can be generated spontaneously both in regular and challenge environments,and when facing external interferences.

Intuitive Human-Robot-Environment Interaction With EMG Signals:A Review

A long history has passed since electromyography(EMG)signals have been explored in human-centered robots for intuitive interaction.However,it still has a gap between scientific research and real-life applications.Previous studies mainly focused on EMG decoding algorithms,leaving a dynamic relationship between the human,robot,and uncertain environment in real-life scenarios seldomly concerned.To fill this gap,this paper presents a comprehensive review of EMG-based techniques in human-robot-environment interaction(HREI)systems.The general processing framework is summarized,and three interaction paradigms,including direct control,sensory feedback,and partial autonomous control,are introduced.EMG-based intention decoding is treated as a module of the proposed paradigms.Five key issues involving precision,stability,user attention,compliance,and environmental awareness in this field are discussed.Several important directions,including EMG decomposition,robust algorithms,HREI dataset,proprioception feedback,reinforcement learning,and embodied intelligence,are proposed to pave the way for future research.To the best of what we know,this is the first time that a review of EMG-based methods in the HREI system is summarized.It provides a novel and broader perspective to improve the practicability of current myoelectric interaction systems,in which factors in human-robot interaction,robot-environment interaction,and state perception by human sensations are considered,which has never been done by previous studies.

Comment on“Robotic surgery and liver transplantation:A single-center experience of 501 robotic donor hepatectomies”

To the Editor:We read with great interest the article by Schulze et al.entitled“Robotic surgery and liver transplantation:A single-center experience of 501 robotic donor hepatectomies”[1].It is the first single-center report including over 500 fully robotic donor hepatectomies.For the donors,the overall complication rate was 6.4%(n=32).Postoperative self-limiting bleeding(0.4%)and bile leakage from the resection plane(1.8%)were rare.

Deterministic Learning-Based Neural PID Control for Nonlinear Robotic Systems

Traditional proportional-integral-derivative(PID)controllers have achieved widespread success in industrial applications.However,the nonlinearity and uncertainty of practical systems cannot be ignored,even though most of the existing research on PID controllers is focused on linear systems.Therefore,developing a PID controller with learning ability is of great significance for complex nonlinear systems.This article proposes a deterministic learning-based advanced PID controller for robot manipulator systems with uncertainties.The introduction of neural networks(NNs)overcomes the upper limit of the traditional PID feedback mechanism’s capability.The proposed control scheme not only guarantees system stability and tracking error convergence but also provides a simple way to choose the three parameters of PID by setting the proportional coefficients.Under the partial persistent excitation(PE)condition,the closed-loop system unknown dynamics of robot manipulator systems are accurately approximated by NNs.Based on the acquired knowledge from the stable control process,a learning PID controller is developed to further improve overall control performance,while overcoming the problem of repeated online weight updates.Simulation studies and physical experiments demonstrate the validity and practicality of the proposed strategy discussed in this article.