Control architecture for the alicia/sup 3/ climbing robot

In this paper, the design of the Alicia³ climbing robot is presented. The robot is based upon three sliding suction cups module linked together. The basic module (Alicia II robot) can serve itself as a carrier for specific instrumentation for non-destructive inspection (NDI) in industrial environment, but with reduced capabilities. The Alicia II system is mainly composed by a suction cup that can slide, staying attached, over a vertical wall by means of a special sealing that also allows the robot passing over small obstacles. The Alicia³ robot was recently built and some tests have been carried out over the basic module, to verify the sealing behavior and the maximum payload over a range of wall surface. Moreover some considerations about system architecture and safety aspect are explained