Design and development of a rope climbing robot using four bar mechanism with wireless control using TX2/RX2 RF module

This paper describes the design and development of a rope climbing robot using four bar mechanism, which enables the robot to climb over an inclined ropeway. In this research, our main aim is to achieve a desired coupler curve using a four bar mechanism. The robot uses a pair of identical four bar mechanisms, with 180° phase shift. The robot has two inverted L-shaped legs on the front side and a supporting pulley on the rear, using these it traverses across the rope. Hence, the design structure and complexity is less than the four-legged robots. Kinematic modeling is done using "Linkage" software and the desired coupler curve is obtained after simulation. The robot\´s mechanism is built using customized acrylic linkages and the body by using foam board. The input crank in the four bar mechanism is driven by a geared DC motor. The Robot\´s movement is controlled wirelessly by TX2/RX2 radio frequency module. The design, modeling and prototyping of the proposed rope climbing robot using the above principle are discussed in this paper.