Abstract: In order to achieve autonomous grasping of the target pole for a 5 degree of freedom biped climbing robot Climbot with planar structure, a method for pole measurement and autonomous grasping based on a 2D scanning laser range finder (sLRF) is proposed. Firstly, the special pose constraint conditions that Climbot transits from one pole to another are listed according to the planar structure. Then, several central points of the pole are measured with a scanning motion of the sLRF mounted on the swinging gripper. Using these points, the linear equation of the pole is fitted, and the pole pose is obtained. Autonomous grasping motion satisfying the transit constraints is planned based on the linear equation. Finally, the central points' measurement errors are analyzed by experiments, and also the pole pose's angle errors relative to the real pole and the frame of Climbot's end gripper. The errors are acceptable comparing with the pole size and the open size of gripper. It is shown that the proposed method can accurately measure the position of the target pole, and the planned grasping motion is reasonable.