Design of a double-tracked wall climbing robot based on electrostatic adhesion mechanism

A double-tracked wall climbing robot based on electrostatic adhesion mechanism is proposed in this paper. First, the principle of the electrostatic adhesion and a calculation method of the adhesion force are presented. Then, an electrode panel is designed to evaluate the feasibility of the electrostatic adhesion mechanism applied to wall climbing robot. Finally, the mechanical structure design and control system design of the robot prototype are described in detail. Experiments of the climbing performances of the robot on different wall surfaces are carried out, including the straight line movement and turning movement. The results show that the robot can achieve forward and backward movements along a straight line successfully. However, the robot can only achieve turning movement on the glass surface with a slope angle of approximately o 30° at present. Dramatic decrease of the dynamic adhesion force when the electrode panels on the robot side slip against the wall may be the main reason. The theoretical analysis and experimental results in this study will provide a strong support for the optimal design of wall climbing robots based on electrostatic adhesion mechanism in the future.