OPTIMAL DESIGN OF A MAGNETIC ADHESION FOR CLIMBING ROBOTS

Abstract

© 2013 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Designing a magnetic adhesion system for climbing robots requires careful selection of design parameters to achieve a feasible solution. There are many considerations which must be taken into account, such as, size constraints for the intended environment and robot configuration, the maximum load that can be supported by the climbing robot, and the expected air gaps during operation. With consideration of the design challenges, an optimal design for a magnetic adhesion system is presented. Based on the optimal design a prototype footpad has been constructed for use on an inchworm climbing robot and experimental results are presented.