Climbing technique of the cleaning robot for a spherical surface

In this paper, based on analyzing the characteristics of the working target, a new kind of auto-climbing robot is proposed, which is used for cleaning the spherical surface of the newly built National Grand Theatre in China. Firstly, an overview of the robotic system is given and the motion function is described in detail. Then, the kinematics model of the climbing process is introduced. For system design and control purposes, the dynamics of the robot are calculated applying of the Lagrange equation. The force distribution of the front and rear supporting mechanisms is computed in a way that ensures the safety of the climbing process. The successful on-site test confirms the principles described above and the robot´s ability to work on a spherical surface.