Demonstration of a Micro Wall-Climbing Robot Moving on Metal Surfaces

In recent years, many of the piping systems used in Japan are more than 50 years old, and the risk of rupture due to aging is increasing. Therefore, many researches related to inspection robots that can navigate inside pipes are presented. However, general mobile robots can only be used in large-diameter pipes. In this study, a micro-robot that can be used for small-diameter in-pipe inspection tasks is introduced. The robot is fitted with magnetic wheels that permit locomotion on metal surfaces even in the vertical direction. In addition, a micro ultrasonic motor that can generate high torque is developed for the actuation mechanism. The micromotor generates a torque of about 30  \(\upmu \) Nm at 40  \(\mathrm {V_{p-p}}\) . To achieve higher mobility, the micro ultrasonic motor is integrated with the smallest planetary gear system ever built. In the demonstration, the mobility performance of the robot is evaluated through a series of experiments.