Hybrid Omnidirectional Wheeled Climbing Robot with an Electromagnet for Inspection
摘要
The article presents a mobile robot for climbing on vertical ferromagnetic surfaces. The robot was designed with hybrid omnidirectional rubber/silicone roller wheels for proper asymmetric friction force generation and a controllable electromagnet for ferromagnetic surface adhesion. The friction force of rubber and silicone rollers and the adhesion force of the electromagnet were investigated. An embedded electronic system with a mobile processor was installed on the robot to allow for remote control. Our results show versatile robot climbing on a ferromagnetic wall with omnidirectional motion and a lower adhesion force-to-weight ratio as compared to that of the others.