I have come across a number of methods for developing wall-climbing robots.
- Suction
- Chemical Adhesion
- Gecko like hair adhesion
- Electroadhesion
Which method would be the best for heavy robots (5kg+)? Are there any other methods that I have missed?
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$\begingroup$ Is it normal walls that can be found inside a house? I.e. brick/wooded wall covered with paint/wall paper? $\endgroup$ – Shahbaz Mar 3 '13 at 21:20
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$\begingroup$ I was thinking of various surfaces and I know that they all have advantages and disadvantages on different surfaces. The main part of the question is are there any other methods I have missed off? $\endgroup$ – Tom Bamber Apr 3 '13 at 9:06
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$\begingroup$ Actually what I had in mind was to ask how destructive the robot can be. For example on wallpaper the robot should be extremely careful, but on rock it can use a wide variety of options. $\endgroup$ – Shahbaz Apr 3 '13 at 11:19
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$\begingroup$ Very true, on metal I do not think that hooks or spines / destructive climbing would work and outside on rocks you are not always limited by self adhesion you can suspend the robot by cables (although cheating slightly!). $\endgroup$ – Tom Bamber Apr 3 '13 at 15:16
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$\begingroup$ In order to receive more detailed answers, could you please define "wall" and "best". Wall can be internal-external, glass-metal-concrete-flat-bumpy; best in the sense of lifetime, power requirement, robustness to disturbances (earthquake, wind, rain), active-passive methods? etc.. $\endgroup$ – Gürkan Çetin Jul 2 '15 at 19:42
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Depends on what you want to climb on, if it is glass, probably your best bet will be suction, but I have no idea what you will need for normal house walls. Don't forget that many walls will not be able to survive 5kgs of weight that tears down the paint. Also if you want to climb on normal walls, you probably shouldn't use chemical adhesives, as they will leave some form of residue.
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$\begingroup$ One of the big issues with suction is the 'lifeline' that is required. Very good point with the chemical adhesives. $\endgroup$ – Tom Bamber Apr 3 '13 at 9:07
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As Plecharts said, it depends on your surface. Magnets work really well for a heavy robot, but iff you're going to drive on metal. An example can be found on this VEXLabs robot: http://www.vexforum.com/wiki/Magbot_Model_3
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1$\begingroup$ Magnets are brilliant and can hold a large weight but only ferromagnetic materials, not all metals. Thank you for the link. $\endgroup$ – Tom Bamber Apr 3 '13 at 9:09
