Design and Development of wall climbing Hexapod Robot with SMA actuated suction gripper

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to describe a wall climbing Hexapod having Shape Memory Alloy actuated suction grippers. Recent researches have shown that SMA provides an alternative for traditional actuators like motors, pneumatics or hydraulics. The property of shape memory alloy to forcefully regain their shape with temperature change is used to develop controllable suction grippers. The principle of joule heating is utilized for actuation of Nitinol springs. These controllable suction grippers can be integrated with standard hexapod gait for the wall climbing application. High energy usage and one-time evacuation of air are the major disadvantages. However, reduction in weight, bulkiness and noise of actuation are significant advantages. Usage of inherent material properties for actuation of suction grippers is the novelty introduced. This feature can also be applied in various legged and non-legged robotic applications.